Through the Eyes of Winter
by InferNafee
Summary: A selected few players of the all too familiar game of death and destruction get pulled out of their places and are made to watch the consequences of their actions and a looming threat. Will they be able to learn from it or are they doomed to repeat it.
1. 0

On a battle field a warrior and a woman on a bed of her own blood lay as death slowly reaches for them have just that one thought on their mind, "I wish I could have been there for my child and seen him grow". _"Wish granted"_ a deep voice penetrates the air and both of them get pulled into a dark swirl.

A few years down the river of time, a lord of snow prepares for the arrival of his king and family. As he barks out orders, both he and his wife along with their eldest child get pulled into a dark swirl. The same swirl also takes away a king, a master of ships, a king beyond reach, a lion and leader of the protectors.

Some more years down the river of time, a black swirl appears on various regions of a vast land, taking away a wolf, a lady, a raven, mother of fire, two wounded lions, a disgraced bear, a wild man buried in snow and no one.

In a huge white room, a group of people fall out of a giant black swirl in two heaps. All of them groan as they try to regain their bearings. "Where in the seven hells are we" the king of the past roared as his eyes fell on his oldest friend, the lord of snow. "I do not know me lord" the lord says bowing respectfully. The others stand by watching the two, the previous dying couple standing away from them looking at each other with all sorts of confusion and comfort. "My flower" the warrior whispered and held the women in bloodied clothes close to himself. "You!" the leader of protectors snarled as his venomous eyes laid on the growling king beyond reach. The two were about to draw their swords when a scream penetrated the air. "WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS!?" the mother of fire roared looking around like a mad woman. "My queen calm down please" the wolf pleaded standing beside her. The others of the group except the snow buried man who was knocked out watched them in confusion. "You will not tell me to calm down J..", _" no but I will"_ a deep voice put all the fighting to a halt. All those gathered looked forward and saw a man standing in front of what looked to a giant slab of glass. "Who are you!?" the king of the past roared glaring daggers at the man. _"Oh I have as many names as there are dimensions"_ the man said. "God?" the lord of snow's wife asked with wide eyes. The man snorted, _"Okay no I am not the big guy upstairs. My name is Skylark. Or as you lot call me, the lord of light which is a stupid name"_ Skylark rolled his eyes. _"I know what you're gonna ask so shush and listen. I have handpicked you lot for a very special reason. The future is not the brightest and you lot who have a major role to play in this future have failed miserably even when signs were shown to you. So I have pulled you aside to this viewing room to look into the events. For some it would be the past to a certain point while for others it will all be in the future. Now for the sake of politeness, introduce yourselves and take a seat on those comfy looking chairs behind you. White hair you start."_ Sky smiled at them _._

"Rhaegar Targaryen" the white haired male said earning wide eyed stares from the rest of the occupants. The snow lord's eyes then fell on to the bloodied woman standing beside Rhaegar, "I'm Lyanna Stark" the woman introduced herself before there was another flash and both hers and Rhaegar's clothes were changed to fit those of a lord and his wife's. The snow lord shook his head when he saw that it was his turn from the finger that was being pointed at him, "Eddard Stark and this is my wife Catelyn Stark nee Tully and my eldest Robb Stark" he introduced his family earning a gasp from Lyanna and a whimper from a red headed woman. Ned and Catelyn looked at the woman and their eyes widened in surprise. But before they could say anything, Skylark skipped over to the fat king, "Robert Baratheon, and this is my brother Stannis and that is Tywin Lannister" he introduced themselves, looking at Lyanna with longing while she tried to ignore him. "Jeor Mormont" the leader introduced himself. "Mance Rayder" the wild looking king from beyond introduced himself.

Now the finger went on to the other group and all attention was on them. "Jon Snow" the wolf introduced himself earning looks of interest from the Stark males and Lyanna who gave Jon a piercing look like she was trying to guess something. "Sansa Stark" the red he=aired woman introduced herself and the Stark's looked at her with pride and confusion as to how she was older when Skylark's words rung in their heads and they smiled at her. "Bran Stark" the crow introduced himself from his position on his wheel chair earning wide eyed stares from his family from the past. "It will be explained I guess" Bran answered before his mother could ask and she flinched slightly at the emotionless tone he spoke in. "Daenerys Targaryen" the white haired woman introduced herself earning a surprised look from Rhaegar. "Tyrion Lannister" the imp lion introduced himself and ten had a venomous exchange of looks with his father. "Jaime Lannister" the injured lion said quickly and diverted his father's attention from his brother to him. "What happened.." Tywin began was cut with a short "will be explained soon I guess" from Jaime. "Jorah Mormont" the disgraced bear introduced himself and earned himself a hateful look from Ned and Jeor whose look held a little bit of sadness as well. "Tormund Giantsbane" the ginger bearded wild man introduced himself then grinned at a smiling Jon which earned quite a bit of surprised looks from the people of past since Tormund was surely a wildling. "Arya Stark" a quiet voice whispered out from the shadows surprising almost everyone in the room. "Arya!" Jon grinned at his half-sister and wrapped her in a tight embrace which she returned almost instantly and just as tight.

" _Well now that that's over, the show will begin in five minutes. Get acquainted and then sit down"_ with these words, Skylark disappeared in a flash of bright light. "I can guess why he was named the lord of light" Tyrion snorted and looked at his chuckling brother. Lyanna moved quickly to her brother and gave him a tigh hug, "Oh Ned! Look at you! You're all grown up and a lord of Winterfell if I'm not wrong" she smiled with pride and hugged Catelyn next then looked at her nieces and nephews, "and you must be his little ones! You all definitely have the Stark looks. Even you Sansa. You have that edge in your eyes that I always saw in m father" she smiled at the kids who smiled back, except Arya who just nodded politely. She then looked to Jon who was looking at her for a moment before looking away. Lyanna tilted her head and smiled at him, "you too have it you know. The Stark resemblance" she said kindly making Jon smile a little while Catelyn shuffled uncomfortably. Ned looked at Jon with a sad smile before he caught Bran's eyes and his own widened. Bran shook his head and Ned relaxed slightly.

Rhaegar looked at Daenerys with a soft smile, "so you're my little sister huh?" he asked and Dany nodded her head. He took a step forward and embraced her which surprised her a little, "you look like mom you know" he said. "No one told me that before" she said quietly with a smile and hugged back.

After the small talks were over, they all sat down and the show began with a static screen then a pitch black view.


	2. 1-1

**_Three rangers of the Night's Watch: Ser Waymar Royce, Will, and Gared depart from the Wall to investigate reports of wildlings in the Haunted Forest which lies to the north, beyond the Wall._**

Jeor sat up straight finally able to find out what had happened to his men beyond the wall.

 ** _Will, the best scout in the group, discovers a number of wildling corpses dismembered and arranged in a strange, ritualistic fashion on the ground. He also finds a dead wildling girl pinned to a tree._**

Tormund and Mance watched with tightened fists and set jaws. "They were from my clan" Tormund grunted out when he saw the look Jon gave him. Jon nodded his head at him then lowered his head as a sign of respect for the dead. Something that didn't go unnoticed by his family from the past, the fat king and his men and Mance who looked at him with confusion. Not many men from the other side of the wall did that for the wildlings was the general thought of the people.

 ** _He reports back to the others. Ser Waymar overrides the older Gared's advice that they return to Castle Black to report the situation to Lord Commander of the Night's Watch Jeor Mormont. He instead insists on seeing the corpses for himself to determine what killed them. When they reach the site, the bodies have disappeared._**

"How is that possible!? They were just here!" Lyanna exclaimed in surprise. "It will be explained" Jon said in a hushed tone. She looked at Jon and nodded her head. She felt like she knew this young man but she was sure she didn't. And his last name was Snow, meaning he was a bastard. He could neve be one of Ned's because he was too noble to be unfaithful in the first place. "Maybe Benjen" she thought but t hen a thought struck her. What had happened to her baby? Was he alright? What had Ned done with him. She looked to Ned who was already looking at her. He shook his hand in a 'later' gesture. She nodded her head and leaned against Rhaegar and continue to watch. Something Robert watched through gritted teeth.

 ** _Will scouts around for clues, but Gared finds a bloody piece of clothing buried under the snow. Further investigations are curtailed when a tall, humanoid figure with glowing blue eyes, a White Walker, arrives and kills Ser Waymar with ease. Gared attempts to escape but is caught and killed. Will, in abject horror, sees the dead wildling girl from earlier who is now walking with blue eyes, and also witnesses Gared's death, with the White Walker tossing his severed head at Will's feet._**

"Impossible!" Tywin stood up. "They are nothing but a myth" he said. "Every myth has a source father" Tyrion said and took a sip of wine, glaring at his father. Tywin looked at Tyrion and was about to retort when Jaime quickly cut in, "He is right father. The white walkers are real and they are a much larger threat than anything" he explained. Tywin nodded his head and with one last glare at Tyrion, he sat back down.

 ** _In the Free City of Pentos, across the Narrow Sea, Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen live in the hospitality of Magister Illyrio Mopatis._**

"He turned out to look like father" Rhaegar mumbled to himself and hoped he had not inherited the madness as well.

 ** _Viserys has arranged to wed his sister Daenerys to Khal Drogo, the warlord of a Dothraki khalasar of forty thousand warriors. In return, Drogo will give Viserys the army he needs to reclaim the Iron Throne. Viserys prepares Daenerys for meeting the Khal. He tells her what a beautiful young woman she has turned into, and slips off her dress and fondles her breast._**

Rhaegar grits his teeth and looks on with disgust. "He definitely got it" he thought to himself and then felt a squeeze on his hand. He looked down to see that Lyanna was trying to comfort him. He smiled slightly and squeezed back.

 ** _She is silent and looks away as if pretending it isn't happening. She steps into a hot bath that has just been poured. This greatly distresses her maid, who believes the water will scald her. However, Daenerys seems not to notice it and appears to be unharmed._**

Rhaegar looked at his sister and smiled at her. "You have inherited the family gift it seems" he said with a hint of pride, something Daenerys was not used to hear. She merely nodded her head and tried to put up a small smile.

 ** _Drogo arrives in Pentos and approves of Daenerys. Illyrio and Viserys discuss the quest to sail back to Westeros, and Viserys inquires when the wedding will take place. Daenerys is not pleased with the arrangement and blurts out that she does not want to marry Drogo. Viserys insists that Daenerys will marry him, because in return, Drogo will give Viserys the army he needs to retake their father's throne from Robert Baratheon. Viserys adds that he would let his sister be raped by all forty thousand of Drogo's men and their horses if it meant getting his throne back._**

Rhaegar gritted his teeth as his eyes flashed dangerously. "He better watch that filthy mouth of his" he growled which caught a lot of the occupants by surprise. "Why are you so enraged? You did the same thing with Lyanna. You took her and raped her to her death didn't you?" Robert Snarled. Rhaegar turned his enraged glare at the fat king and Robert felt a shiver go down his spine. "He did no such thing" Lyanna cut in smoothly gaining surprised looks from everyone but the wildlings who didn't really care. "I went with him of my own free will. We got married of our own free will and I bore him a son" she said icily which knocked all the fight out of Robert. "Lyanna you couldn't.." Robert blurted out but was cut off again. "Yes I did. You might have been a great warrior Robert but you were never half the man Rhaegar was" she said which made Robert go silent.

At the mention of a son, Catelyn leaned back in her chair. "If what she said is true then that would mean" her eyes widened and she looked to Ned who looked at Robert with sorrow. "Ned is it" she began but Ned who had caught her words put a hand on her hand, which was all the confirmation she needed. She looked down at her lap as her world began to crumble slightly. Not only had she been stupid enough to not see through Ned's lies, she had treated her nephew with scorn. But who would have guessed that Ned was lying, he was not a man who lied. "He is also not a man who would forsake a vow" a voice whispered into her ears.

 ** _A short time later, Drogo arrives at Illyrio's estate. After taking a glance at Daenerys, Drogo rides away without dismounting from his horse. Viserys is concerned, but Illyrio assures him that, if he did not approve of Daenerys, they would have known. Later, Daenerys marries Khal Drogo and a great celebration is held. Several people die in impromptu duels, which Illyrio says is a good sign: a Dothraki wedding without at least three deaths is considered a dull affair._**

"A dull affair" Rhaegar gritted out. "It's alright brother. Drogo wasn't that bad of a man. A beast but he knew when to respect my opinions" Daenerys defended her dead husband and looked at her brother. She was confused as to why a man who had never seen her was being so protective over her now.

 ** _The bride and groom receive many gifts, but for Dany, two are particularly interesting. The first is a selection of books containing stories and songs from the Seven Kingdoms, given to her by Ser Jorah Mormont, an exiled knight of House Mormont. Ser Jorah swears fealty to Viserys as King and offers him his support and advice, which is accepted. The second is a box containing three beautiful stones. According to Illyrio, these are dragon eggs from the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai that have turned to stone with the passing of time. Dany appears to feel some connection with the eggs, but brushes it off for the time being._**

Dany smiled seeing her children as their egg forms then felt a pull in her chest from the loss of her baby Viserion who was now a pawn of the Ice king's. She felt a warm touch on her hand and saw that it was Jon who was looking at her with worry. The two had gotten closer to each other after what had transpired between them and then the whole boat thing. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze and smiled at him, which he returned.

 ** _For his gift, Drogo gives Daenerys a beautiful white mare. Viserys tells his sister to make Drogo happy. Drogo and Daenerys ride down to the shore and consummate their marriage on the beach at sunset. Daenerys is visibly upset and terrified._**

"It was after all her first time" Sansa said wisely, her own time coming to mind which made her shiver a little. Catelyn noticed this and frowned slighty with worry.

 ** _In King's Landing, the capital city of the Seven Kingdoms, the bells ring out to commemorate the death of Lord Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King. As the Silent Sisters prepare his body for burial, Queen Cersei Lannister looks on. She is worried that Jon discovered something he shouldn't have, and may have told someone. She confesses her fears to her twin brother, Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard, but he tells her not to worry, since if the King knew the truth they'd be dead already._**

Robert who was already distraught, narrowed his eyes dangerously. Tywin also looked slightly worried for what secret his children were hiding that could have them killed.

 ** _She tells him he should be the new Hand of the King, but he doesn't want the job. He considers it too much work. Cersei accuses him of taking nothing seriously. Sometime later, Will has fled south of the Wall in terror, rather than return to warn Castle Black of the White Walker threat. He is apprehended by outriders loyal to House Stark, the wardens of the North, and is taken to Lord Eddard Stark._**

"Deserter" Jeor said with disdain.

 ** _Meanwhile, Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark is at Winterfell with his wife and family. Ned and Catelyn watch their 10-year old son Bran Stark practice archery while he is being helped by Robb Stark, Ned and Catelyn's eldest son, and Ned's illegitimate son Jon Snow, both 17._**

The Stark family watched the scene fondly. For Lyanna, it was like a reminder of her young days when she watched her brothers train while she tried to get some training in as well.

 ** _The youngest son, 6-year old Rickon Stark, watches his brothers until Ned and Catelyn's youngest daughter, 11-year old Arya Stark - who has left needlework where their 13-year old daughter Sansa Stark is - hits Bran's bullseye with an arrow before Bran can. Bran chases Arya while Ned, Catelyn, Robb and Jon laugh until Ned receives news that a Night's Watch deserter has been found._**

"So much like you that one" Ned told Lyanna who shook her head fondly. The brother and sister duo turned their heads to Arya and Bran who were watching the scenes emotionlessly. Troubled by their expressions, Ned looked at his wife who too looked worried. Lyanna moved her eyes away from her niece and nephews and they fell on Jon who watched the scene with a smile. "That is such a Ned smile there" she thought to herself. "Some say yours and Ned's smiles are almost identical" a voice said inside her head which made her frown.

 ** _The law decrees that as a deserter from the Watch, Will is an oath breaker and must be executed. Ned takes three of his sons with him - Robb, Jon, and Bran - to witness the execution due to it being a Stark custom among sons to carry out executions themselvs. Also joining Eddard is his ward Theon Greyjoy, the master-at-arms Rodrik Cassel and his leading guard Jory Cassel. Will accepts his fate, but tells Eddard about the Walkers first and asks that word be sent back to his mother. Eddard carries out the execution himself, using the ancestral Valyrian blade of their house, Ice. Young Bran witnesses an execution for the first time without flinching, earning praise from his half-brother Jon. Eddard explains to Bran that the reason he was made to execute Will was because the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword._**

"Father used to say the same thing. Guess you inherited more than just his looks huh brother" Lyanna smiled which Ned returned.

 ** _When Bran asks his father about Will's talk of White Walkers, Eddard dismisses it as a madman's ramblings, insisting that the Walkers have been gone for centuries. The party sets out to return to Winterfell._**

"If only he had listened" Jon thought.

 ** _On the way back to the castle, the party finds a stag dead in the road, partially disemboweled. Looking for what killed it, they find a dead female direwolf, killed with a stag antler piece broken off in her throat. The female died after giving birth, and her five pups huddle by the corpse for warmth. Theon advocates killing the pups, but Jon Snow convinces his father that this is an omen: the direwolf is the symbol of House Stark, and Eddard has five trueborn children._**

The stark children who were present smiled at the pups, the future ones having fond memories of their companions.

 ** _With Bran looking on beseechingly, Eddard agrees to allow it, but only if they raise the pups themselves with no help from the servants._**

"A dire wolf in the Stark family after centuries. This surely does mark a time of change" Lyanna said with little enthusiasm and Ned agreed. The last time there were dire wolves in the Stark family, they were the king in the North and were at war against the undead, or at least that's what legend said.

 ** _Just as the party leaves, Jon finds a sixth pup, an albino runt of the litter. Theon mockingly points out that this one belongs to Jon, but Jon nonetheless adopts the sixth pup._**

This time Jon smiled fondly at the memories of a baby ghost.

 ** _A raven bears news of Jon Arryn's death to Winterfell, where Lady Catelyn Stark informs Eddard. He is particularly stricken because Arryn served as a father-figure to him when he was fostered at the Eyrie. She also tells him that King Robert Baratheon and much of the royal court rides for Winterfell. Eddard realizes that King Robert means to name him as the Hand to replace Jon Arryn. He ponders refusal, feeling his place is at Winterfell._**

"Something tells me you do the opposite" Stannis said with a grunt.

 ** _Over the next few weeks, the Stark children grow used to their rapidly-growing direwolves: Robb names his Grey Wind, Sansa calls hers Lady, and Arya names hers Nymeria after a great warrior-queen._**

"A fitting name" Arya thought with sadness.

 ** _Jon names his Ghost, for his white color and uncanny silence. Bran calls his Summer and six-year-old Rickon names his wolf Shaggydog. Bran's mother catches him climbing on the rooftops of the castle, just as the royal party comes into view. He promises to stop, but his mother knows he is lying. Winterfell prepares for guests. Catelyn Stark wants to make sure that Tyrion Lannister, a great reader, has enough candles, and the young men of the house get groomed, as they gossip about the queen, a reportedly great beauty._**

Robert snorts disdainfully.

 ** _All of Winterfell gathers in the courtyard as the royal party approaches. Arya is late and annoys Sansa by not being silent and respectful when they arrive._**

Sansa sighed silently. She loved her sister and all, but she had become a silent killer which really scared her since that meant Arya would be put into a lot of danger in the foreseeable future. Oh how she missed the little ball of energy hat was Arya and how she would do anything to have her back.

 ** _King Robert rides in with his knights, while Queen Cersei is in a large wheelhouse. Lord Eddard presents his household to King Robert. Eddard and Robert greet each other warmly, and then Robert demands to see the crypts and pay his respects to Eddard's deceased sister, Lyanna, much to Queen Cersei's impatience. After Robert and Eddard depart, Cersei sends Jaime to find their younger brother Tyrion, who is a dwarf. "The Imp" has found his way to the brothel in the town outside Winterfell, where he enjoys the attentions of a prostitute named Ros. Jaime tells Tyrion, a man of limited height but with immense appetites, that he will be needed at the feast that night. Jaime has hired three more prostitutes for Tyrion, to hurry things along._**

Tyrion gave Jaime a smirk with made Jaime snort.

 ** _In the crypts Robert offers up his prayers at the tomb of Lyanna Stark, Eddard's younger sister, whom Robert was betrothed to before she was allegedly kidnapped by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. Lyanna died shortly after she was found. He tells Eddard that in his dreams he kills Rhaegar every night anew. Eddard reminds him that House Targaryen was destroyed, but Robert replies: "not all of them."_**

Lyanna rolls her eyes, "that is a lie and you knew it Ned" she said meaningfully to which Ned nodded his head wearily earning a surprised glare from Robert. "And you hid this from me for all these years?" he roared. "As if you would have believed me. And you would have chopped my head clean off from rage if I said this" Ned said tiredly. Robert just grunted since it was true.

 ** _Robert formally offers Eddard the role of Hand, and Eddard asks for time to consider. Robert agrees, but offers a sweetener: the hand of his son, Joffrey, in marriage to Eddard's daughter, Sansa._**

Sansa made a disgusted noise at the back of her throat. Jon sighed remembering the prick that was Joffrey and rubbed his hand on Sansa's back comfortingly, which she appreciated. Catelyn looked at the two with confusion, since when were the two this close.

 ** _A great feast is held and Cersei and Catelyn exchange cordial words. Cersei seems more impressed by Sansa, thinking that she will be a great hit at court. Outside the feast, Jon Snow works at his sword practice, angry that Catelyn thought it would be inappropriate that a bastard should attend._**

Catelyn wanted to apologize but Ned held her hand and shook his head. "Not yet. He doesn't know" he mouthed and Catelyn nodded with a sigh.

 ** _His uncle Benjen Stark, First Ranger of the Night's Watch, arrives to join the feast, and Jon asks him to take him back to the Wall with him. Benjen agrees to consider it._**

Two things surprised Lyanna. One was that Benjen was a member of the Night's watch and two that he would take Jon to join. The wall was not a place for a boy as young as Jon. But another thought went into her mind at that. If Benjen was a member of the Night's watch, that meant that Jon couldn't be his, also Jon called him uncle. But Ned could never be unfaithful to his lady wife, she was sure. "Then that meant" her eyes went to Ned who met her gaze and the two had a silent conversation. Ned nodded in the end and Lyanna had to hold back a sob. Ned shook his head right after and this time she had to do all she could to not break down on the spot.

 ** _Tyrion Lannister then arrives and talks to Jon, suggesting that he is too pricklish and quick to take offense when his illegitimacy is pointed out. He should take the insult and wear it like armor, so that no one can hurt him with it. When Jon angrily asks Tyrion what he knows about it, Tyrion replies that "all dwarfs are bastards in their father's eyes."_**

"It was good advice lord Tyrion" Jon said with a smile which Tyrion returned. His eyes then fell on Lyanna, his dead aunt who was looking at him longingly which made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

 ** _Eddard and Catelyn receive a letter in the night, delivered to Maester Luwin by a messenger from the Eyrie. The letter is from Catelyn's sister, Lady Lysa Arryn, the widow of Jon Arryn. In the letter, Lysa says that Jon Arryn was murdered by the Lannisters and that they plan to conspire against King Robert._**

The room had gone dead silent. Robert rose from his chair and glared down at Tywin who merely looked bored. "You want to conspire against ME!? YOUR KING!?" he roared and was about to attack when he was suddenly tied down to his chair and unconscious. They all looked at the fat king in surprise when Sky's word floated in, _"I will not have any sort of violence in my room. This was a warning shot. The real punishment would be as sweet"_ _he said just a Robert woke up but from his look, he knew what was said._

 ** _Luwin counsels that Eddard should accept Robert's offer to be Hand, so he can investigate the truth of the matter and protect the King. Eddard, while he would prefer to stay at Winterfell, agrees with Luwin and accepts the offer._**

"NO" Catelyn and Lyanna groaned in unison.

 ** _The next morning Eddard and Robert go hunting, leaving the castle largely empty. Bran indulges in some climbing but, while climbing a broken tower, he hears someone moaning. He peers through a window and finds the queen and her brother engaged in a sexual act. Cersei spots him and warns Jaime, who grabs Bran. Jaime looks out the window to make sure nobody else is watching and only sees Summer. He turns to Bran and asks how old he is. When Bran replies "ten," Jaime remarks with a sigh, "The things I do for love." With that, he pushes Bran out of the window._**

And again, the room had fallen into deadly silence.


	3. 1-2

"You insignificant worm!" Robert roared getting up from his seat. He made his way to Jaime and pulled him up by his collar. Jaime just smiled cruelly at him, a hint of sadness in his eyes "you never cared for my sister. Why do you care?" he asked in a harsh whisper. Robert was about to retaliate when a harsh wind blew making them all shiver harshly and a previous warning came back to them. Robert let Jaime go and took a step back, growling to himself he returned to his seat. Catelyn was looking venomously at Jaime from her seat but a slight tug on her sleeves broke her glare. She looked to her side and saw that it was Bran in his wheelchair. She looked at her with tears brimming around her eyes and hugged him tightly. Bran at first froze before he awkwardly returned the hug. "Do not hold it against him mother" he started, "he loves his family very much and was very loyal to them" he explained in an even tone. "He crippled you! You could have died" she said holding back a sob. He shook his head, "I wouldn't have died. And even if he didn't push me, my state would have happened anyways" he explained. Catelyn wanted to ask more but Bran stopped her, "I'm sure the explanation would come up here. But know that I might never be able walk, but I can fly" he said with a small smile and returned to his place beside Sansa who was smiling sadly. Jon too was looking at them sadly while Arya didn't show any emotions which still unnerved both her parents and eldest brother. Catelyn frowned slightly and sat uncomfortably in her seat. Seeing the changes in her children had really unnerved her and from what she knew, even Ned was deeply unnerved. She sighed internally and decided that these memories would be her only way of knowing.

The screen buzzed to life and the next memory started.

 ** _The Dothraki khalasar led by Khal Drogo have departed Pentos and are heading east. They travel away from the Free Cities and into the Dothraki sea, the long-grassed plains that the Dothraki call home._**

"That looks beautiful" Lyanna said. "It really is" Dany smiled and became slightly nostalgic.

 ** _Viserys Targaryen accompanies the khalasar, meaning to stay with Drogo until he fulfills his end of the bargain and provides him with an army with which to invade Westeros, despite Ser Jorah Mormont's suggestion. He tells Viserys that he offended his liege lord, Eddard Stark, by selling poachers into slavery. When he received word that Eddard meant to execute him for the crime, he fled to Essos._**

Dany shuffled in her seat uncomfortably. What Jorah had done was unforgivable and she stood on the very opposite side of it. But she knew Jorah, the man who had changed since that moment and decided that he had earned forgiveness in her eyes.

 ** _Viserys laughs at the notion, saying such trivialities would not be punished under his reign. Daenerys is finding adapting to her new role as khaleesi to be a huge challenge. Only Mormont offers her some solace, telling her it will become easier._**

"It wasn't comforting in the slightest the way you kept saying it" Dany mumbled in jest. Jorah rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

 ** _Daenerys is however fearful of her new husband and it is revealed that their first sexual encounter has left her slightly injured._**

Dany blushed hearing a few chuckles, "I was not used to the harshness yet" she defended herself when an amused Jon looked at her.

 ** _Fascinated with her gift from Illyrio, Dany asks her handmaidens if they have ever heard of dragons surviving in the east. They reply no, but Doreah, a former pleasure-girl from Lys, tells her an old story about how there used to be two moons in the sky. One wandered too close to the sun and cracked like an egg, spilling out thousands of dragons into the world._**

"Probably not how dragons came into existence" Rhaegar snorted lightly with a small smile.

 ** _Dany's Dothraki handmaidens Irri and Jhiqui dismiss the story, saying that the moon is a goddess, wife to the sun. Daenerys seeks the advice of her handmaid Doreah. Doreah instructs Daenerys on how to please Drogo in bed but also how to use her skills to gain respect from him. Doreah tells Daenerys, "You are no slave," and that Daenerys should not have sex like one. Daenerys nervously puts these plans into action and is surprised to find Drogo responsive, particularly once she starts using her body in combination with the Dothraki language to speak to him._**

"Talking dirty really does help with us" Tyrion said wisely from personal experience earning snorts from Jaime and Jon, the former trying to hide it in a sneeze.

 ** _In Winterfell, Bran Stark lies unconscious and badly wounded, his mother by his side. Tyrion Lannister insists to his nephew Joffrey that Joffrey pay his respects to Lord and Lady Stark, since his absence has been noted. When Joffrey refuses, saying the boy means nothing to him, Tyrion slaps Joffrey three times until he accepts his uncle's suggestion._**

"The boy deserved it" Tyrion said, meeting his father's glare head on with his own. Tywin admittedly agreed with Tyrion but would not tell him that.

 ** _Tyrion then breakfasts with his other family members, informing them of his decision to journey north to see the Wall before returning to King's Landing. He also tells them that Bran is expected to live and notes Cersei and Jaime's guarded reactions._**

Tywin bristled in his spot, still in shock from what he had seen.

 ** _Cersei visits Catelyn Stark, who is sitting by her son's side, and tells her that her first child, a beautiful, black-haired boy, died of a fever. She and Robert were grief-stricken and her prayers and tears were for naught. She offers to pray for Bran's survival, hoping that this time the gods will listen._**

Robert narrowed her eyes, nothing of that sorts had ever happened.

 ** _Jon Snow has Winterfell's blacksmith, Mikken, forge a light sword for his sister, Arya._**

Arya looked at the screen impassively while she patted on Needle gently.

 ** _Arya is excited by the gift and names it Needle. Jon also gives her advice on how to best use the weapon: "Stick them with the pointy end."_**

"That about sums it up" Robb said with a laugh which Jon and Sansa joined in. Lyanna closed her eyes and took in the sound of Jon's laugh. How she wanted to just hold him.

 ** _Jon urges Arya to practice every chance she gets and they hug. Jon then visits his still-comatose Bran to say his farewells and kisses his forehead, before departing at his stepmother's cold request._**

Catelyn sighed, "I'm sorry Jon, about that" she said sincerely. Jon, caught by surprise could only nod.

 ** _Eddard then says his goodbyes to his son and to a grieved Catelyn, who is angered at his departure while Bran remains ill. Outside, Robb and Jon hug each other before they depart, hoping to see each other soon._**

Jon smiled sadly at the screen. That was the last time he had seen his brother. "It can be changed" a voice whispered and Jon agreed. There were people from the past, these events could be changed. "Maybe even" he clenched his fist and pushed the thought out of his head.

 ** _The parties depart Winterfell: Jon, Tyrion and Benjen Stark to the Wall; and Eddard, Arya, Sansa and the royal party south to King's Landing. At their parting, Eddard tells Jon, "You are a Stark. You might not have my name, but you have my blood." Ned also promises Jon to tell him about his mother the next time they see one another._**

Ned and Lyanna took in a sharp breath. If Ned had promised that, and Jon still didn't know anything the only one thing could have happened. Even Catelyn looked freaked out.

 ** _Days later, on the Kingsroad south to the capital, King Robert Baratheon calls a halt to discuss with Eddard some dire news that has just arrived. Robert's spies have learned of Daenerys Targaryen's marriage to Khal Drogo, whose khalasar is reported to number over one hundred thousand warriors. Eddard points out that the Dothraki cannot cross the Narrow Sea, as they have no ships, but Robert is concerned that the Seven Kingdoms will soon face another war._**

Rhaegar gave a grateful nod towards Ned for standing up for his sister. Ned nodded back. Dany looked to Ned but didn't say anything while Robert grumbled.

 ** _A curious Robert asks Eddard about Wylla, the mother of his bastard son, but Eddard refuses to enlighten him. Robert reminds him that at that time, they were in the middle of a war and no one knew if they would ever return to their families._**

Catelyn sighed to herself. It seems that the secret was kept to Ned himself. "If only he had trusted her enough ti tell her" she thought bitterly.

 ** _In Winterfell, Catelyn's refusal to leave Bran's side is starting to cause problems for the smooth running of the castle. Robb offers to work with Maester Luwin to put the castle to rights. There is then a fire in part of the castle, but this proves to be a distraction to allow an assassin to attempt to finish off Bran. Catelyn holds the assassin off long enough for Bran's direwolf to enter the chamber and tear out the assassin's throat._**

Catelyn went stiff at first then relaxed when the danger had passed. Bran smiled sadly seeing his friend again after so long.

 ** _Traveling north, Jon and Tyrion talk, and Tyrion reveals that he reads books to sharpen his mind, his greatest asset and weapon._**

"The strongest and most dangerous of weapons out there" Rhaegar said with a smile at Tyrion which he returned.

 ** _As it travels north, the party is joined by several, new recruits — rapists who chose to "take the black," rather than face the knife. Tyrion tells Jon that the Night's Watch is not the noble institution it was once was, idealized with glorious knights defending the realm against the horrors lurking beyond the Wall, and says Jon is smarter than to believe the stories his wet-nurse told him about "grumpkins and snarks and other monsters"._**

"Guess none of us saw it coming" Tyrion muttered

 ** _In Winterfell, Catelyn goes to the tower from where Bran fell and finds a strand of blonde hair on the floor. She summons Robb, Theon, Luwin and the castle master at arms, Ser Rodrik Cassel and tells them that she suspects that the Lannisters tried to kill Bran because he might have seen something in the tower._**

"You always did catch on fats" Ned said fondly then frowned when he saw Catelyn scowl slightly.

 ** _Robb and Theon are all for making war, but Luwin schools them to caution. Catelyn decides that Ned must know the truth and resolves to travel south to King's Landing and meet him there. Ser Rodrik will escort Catelyn while Robb will remain in Winterfell to take charge of the castle in Catelyn's absence. Jon's party crests a rise and sees the Wall before them. Benjen welcomes them, and Tyrion seems impressed by the Wall's sheer size._**

"If they were mammoth for you guys just imagine how insignificant I felt" Tyrion said with a chuckle which many joined in. He took a sip from his chalice when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see that it was Dany who along with Jon and the rest of the future people except Arya and Tormund were smiling at him. "You have already proven to be much more significant than half of us here" Jon said with a smile. Tyrion said nothing but held his chalice to his mouth, a smile on his lips.

 ** _On the Kingsroad, the royal party reaches the Crossroads Inn, a noted way stop on the way south to the capital. Prince Joffrey's bodyguard, Sandor Clegane, also known as "the Hound," a man with half his face burned in a mysterious accident, introduces Sansa to Ser Ilyn Payne, the king's headsman, a frightening-looking man who had his tongue torn out on the orders of the Mad King many years ago. Joffrey saves Sansa from this unpleasantness and takes her for a walk along the riverbank. They find Arya practicing her sword work with Mycah, the son of the party's butcher. Joffrey pretends to take offense at Mycah using a sword on the sister of his betrothed and starts to gleefully cut Mycah's face with his sword, but an outraged Arya hits him on the head with a stick._**

"Should have used a real sword and skewered him on the spot" Sansa scowled. Jon chuckled nervously and rubbed her back. Robert scowled at seeing his son's actions and his weakness.

 ** _Joffrey quickly becomes violent and threatens Arya at sword point, but before he can hurt her, Arya's direwolf, Nymeria, attacks Joffrey, biting at his arm. Mycah runs off, and Arya throws Joffrey's sword in the river before running off herself. Sansa tries to help Joffrey, but he spitefully tells her to leave him alone and go for help._**

"Should have left him for dead is what I should have done" Sansa growled. "The wound wasn't lethal" Arya suddenly spoke up making her jump and letting her anger get replaced by surprise. Most of them had forgotten that Arya was still in the room.

 ** _Arya, knowing that Nymeria will be punished for injuring the prince, forces the direwolf to flee by throwing a rock at her. She is then taken before the King, who is angered that a minor fracas has become a major incident, with his wife and new Hand blaming one another's children. Joffrey offers a false account of the incident, and asks Sansa to confirm it. Put in an impossible position, Sansa refuses to contradict him, enraging Arya._**

Sansa sighs sadly remembering what her choice had meant back then. She felt a cold hand on hers which brought her out of her musings. She looked up to see that it was Arya who had put a hand on hers but said nothing else. Sansa smiled a little and gave her hand a squeeze.

 ** _The King decides to let Ned discipline Arya while he will do the same to Joffrey, but Cersei demands that the direwolf be executed. When Nymeria cannot be found, Cersei spitefully requests that Sansa's direwolf Lady be killed instead, and Robert acquiesces, upsetting Sansa and further angering Arya. Furious, Eddard attends to the matter himself, passing the Hound arriving with Mycah's bloodied corpse._**

Ned's eyes became dangerously narrow, scaring those that looked at him at that moment.

 ** _Eddard is shocked and disgusted, and when he asks if the Hound ran Mycah down, the Hound responds "He ran, but not very fast." Eddard kills Lady with a dagger, and hundreds of miles away, Bran awakens._**

Catelyn let out a breath that she never realized she was holding.


	4. 1-3

There was no discussions after that memory, just a mother clinging to her son as tears of happiness leaked out her eyes. After a short while, the next memory started.

 ** _The royal party reaches King's Landing. Almost immediately, Lord Eddard Stark is asked to attend a meeting of the king's small council and to change his clothes, but he refuses to the latter._**

"It's hot as balls out there. Go change you hard headed fool" Robert grumbled, still in a foul mood but had hints of a smile on his face.

 ** _Before that he encounters Jaime Lannister in the throne room. Jaime is still unhappy that Eddard judged him dishonorable for killing the Mad King, the murderer of Eddard's father and brother, and for having the nerve to casually seat himself upon the Iron Throne after mayhem was through. Jaime is unrepentant about it._**

"You broke your vow" Ned said with a slight glare. Jaime met his glare with a straight gaze, "for the innocent" he said which made Ned hum in disagreement but did send him into thinking.

 ** _Eddard meets the council members: Lord Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish,_**

Arya and Sansa let out low growls still remembering what that man had tried to do.

 ** _the king's Master of Coin and a friend of Eddard's wife from childhood; Grand Maester Pycelle, the king's adviser in all matters scientific and academic; Lord Renly Baratheon, the youngest of the king's two brothers and Master of Laws; and Varys, a eunuch and the Master of Whisperers._**

"He is still there?" Rhaegar asked in pure amazement at the fact that the eunuch looked no less older than how he had last seen him.

 ** _Varys tells Eddard that the council members heard about his "troubles on the Kingsroad" and that they pray for Joffrey's recovery. Eddard grimly responds "It's a shame no one prayed for the butcher's boy", which visibly upsets Varys._**

Ned raised an eyebrow at Varys' frown.

 ** _Eddard is stunned to learn that the crown is six million Gold Dragons in debt, half of which is to Lord Tywin Lannister._**

"What the hell kind of kingdom are you running!?" Dany asked in pure shock. Robert just grunted not gracing her with an actual answer.

 ** _To make matters worse, King Robert has just ordered a lavish tournament to celebrate Eddard's appointment. He resolves to advise Robert to cancel the tournament, but the council is doubtful that the king will listen._**

"I would do no such thing" Robert laughed out loud. Lyanna looked at her once betrothed with pure disgust.

 ** _Queen Cersei talks to Joffrey about the incident on the river. She tells him that when he is king, the truth will be whatever he decides it will be._**

Tywin and Stannis frowned deeply at that.

 ** _Joffrey thinks there will be trouble with the Starks, and promises that when he is king, he will double their taxes, force them to contribute to a standing army and, should they object, crush them and install someone loyal, such as his great-uncle Kevan, as Warden of the North._**

This time the Starks, the Targaryens, Robert and the wildlings scowled. The wildlings might not like the southerners, but they had respect for the Starks. After all the blood of the first ran through them.

 ** _Cersei points out that the North is too vast and wild to be militarily conquered by outsiders, and a king needs to be more clever. She also advises him to be kind to his betrothed Sansa Stark to avoid stirring up trouble for later, and concludes that "Anyone who isn't us is an enemy." Arya and Sansa are still at odds over the incident with Joffrey and her direwolf. Eddard explains to Arya that Sansa was put in a difficult position by the king and queen, and while she shouldn't have lied, winning the long-term approval of Joffrey, her future husband, was important._**

Sansa scowled. How she hated that maggot now and her former self for even caring for him.

 ** _Arya is unhappy with the situation, but Eddard mollifies her by allowing her to practice with her sword, Needle._**

Arya let out an unnoticeable upward twitch of her lips. She might be an assassin now, but she still missed her father.

 ** _Catelyn Stark and Ser Rodrik arrive at King's Landing and attempt to sneak into the city, but are spotted by one of Littlefinger's men._**

Ned narrows his eyes in suspicion. It was no coincidence that Littlefinger's men found them, at least to him.

 ** _They are taken to meet Littlefinger at a brothel he owns, where Lord Varys is also waiting. He explains that one of his 'little birds' told him they were coming. Catelyn is angered by the way they've been treated, but asks Littlefinger for aid in finding the people who tried to have Bran killed. Littlefinger is able to answer this quickly stating that the elaborate dagger wielded by the assassin used to be his, but he lost it in a gamble with Tyrion Lannister._**

Catelyn's eyes shifted to Tyrion but by the way the others were seated by him, she felt there was more to that story.

 ** _Littlefinger fetches Eddard to meet his wife, but Eddard suspects a trick and pushes Littlefinger up against a wall outside the brothel wanting to know what his game is. Catelyn then appears, and Eddard is pacified. After hearing her news, he vows to find the truth and expose the Lannisters to Robert. Littlefinger agrees to be his ally in this, for the affection he once bore Catelyn as a youngster._**

Lyanna shifted uncomfortably. This Littlefinger was giving her all sorts of uncomfortable feelings and found herself not being able to trust him at all. She looked to the future kids and her belief was solidified even if looking at Jon hurt her slightly.

 ** _Ravens arrive at King's Landing with news of Bran's recovery. Cersei fears he will expose their secret, but Jaime comforts her, confident they can outwit a child if need be. Elsewhere, Robert swaps old war stories with Ser Barristan Selmy, a distinguished and famous knight and the commander of the Kingsguard._**

"Rhaegar smiled at the knight. He had sparred with that man and respected him truly skills and all.

 ** _Summoning Jaime Lannister, Robert jokingly questions him about Aerys Targaryen's death, wondering if the Mad King died begging for mercy, but Jaime rather coldly replies that the master he betrayed died screaming the same words he'd been saying since the siege of King's Landing began: "Burn them all"._**

Bran narrowed his eyes slightly.

 ** _Eddard has contracted a swordmaster, Syrio Forel, the former First Sword of Braavos, to teach Arya how to use her sword properly. Arya is thrilled, and 'the dance' begins. As Eddard watches them practice, his pleasure at seeing Arya happy sours when he realizes that a conflict between the Starks and Lannisters may be inevitable; his daughter may well be training herself for war._**

"Truer words have never been said" Tyrion muttered taking a swig out his chalice which kept refilling itself. The drink though did not get him drunk since he needed to watch the memories.

 ** _At Winterfell, Bran has awoken but has no memory of his accident. His injuries have left him bedridden and unlikely to walk again. Old Nan, the oldest servant in the castle, tells Bran stories to pass the time, but he doesn't want her usual heroic stories about the likes of Ser Duncan the Tall. She instead speaks of the White Walkers and the coming of a vast winter that will blanket the world._**

"The woman knows" Mance grunted. "And none of us believed" Jon said with a grimace. Dany patted his hand but she too had a grimace as did all the people of the future which made the people of the past look beyond worried.

 ** _When Robb pays a visit, Bran asks his brother if it is true that he will never walk again. Robb reluctantly says this is so. Bran remarks that he would rather be dead._**

"Crippled or not you are still our brother and we would not let you die so easily" Sansa said smoothly and hugged him. Their parents smiled at the scene but were still confused at the close to response from Bran.

 ** _At Castle Black, the primary redoubt of the Night's Watch in the shadow of the Wall, Jon Snow shows his worth to the trainer, Ser Alliser Thorne, by besting several fellow members of the Watch in the practice yard. Thorne is disgusted at the poor performance of the others but has no praise for Jon either, dubbing him Lord Snow and describing him as "the least useless person here"._**

"That man is an idiot if he thinks that was just 'least useless' Lyanna growled. "He means well kind of. He just wants the watch to return to its former glory and not be filled with people who didn't know how to swing a blade" Jon defended the man reluctantly.

 ** _Watching over the new recruits with Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, Tyrion notes Thorne's stern and unusual ways, but Jeor doesn't care as he only requires Thorne to turn the "thieves and runaways" into men of the Night's Watch. Later on, several of the other recruits gang up on Jon, but the situation is defused by Tyrion. Tyrion points out to Jon that none of the other recruits had the benefit of a skilled master-at-arms to train them, and that Jon is alienating them through his standoffish attitude and superior combat skills._**

"Those words really did help. Thank you lord Tyrion" Jon said honestly. Tyrion nodded at him with a smile and sipped his chalice. Ned watched the shortest Lannister in thought. He had thought that the imp would be like the rest of his family, prideful and full of themselves. But seems he was wrong.

 ** _Benjen Stark meets Jon atop the Wall and tells him he is going on a ranging in the Haunted Forest. He refuses to take Jon with him, telling him he isn't ready, and that here rank and nobility mean nothing. Every man must earn everything he gets._**

Lyanna wiped a tear from her eyes. Her youngest brother had grown to be a strong man and was watching over her son, but she still felt worried for him. She looked to Jon to see that his jaws were clenched and his hands were in Dany's. She frowned at that reaction from her son.

 ** _Before departing, Benjen stops by the eating area to say farewell to Yoren, a fellow Night's Watchman who scouts for new recruits in the capital. Benjen also scolds Tyrion for his naivety regarding what is north of the Wall and states that Tyrion has no authority to say what is or isn't beyond the Wall as he hasn't been out there himself._**

"He knew. Or at least suspected" Tormund mumbled.

 ** _Later, Tyrion discusses north of the Wall with Jeor Mormont and his chief adviser, the ancient and blind Maester Aemon._**

Rhaegar and Jon both smiled at the old man. "He is still alive" Rhaegar smiled. "Who is he?" Dany asked her brother. "Aemon Targaryen, our great grand uncle" he smiled. "He was a kind man. Taught me a lot" Jon smiled sadly. Rhaegar noticed the use past tense. "He died of old age" Jon explained when he saw his look. Rhaegar nodded and looked at Jon properly. There was something off about the boy. He was no doubt a stark but still there was something else he couldn't quite put his finger on.

 ** _Jeor asks for Tyrion to intercede at court and get the Watch more men as they are dangerously undermanned. Aemon warns that the Stark words are right. Winter is coming. It will be more harsh and terrible than any in living memory. More dangerous things than just wildlings might come with it. After all, one of their number swore that the White Walkers had returned ... right up to the moment Ned Stark cut his head off. Tyrion admits his skepticism that supernatural creatures might exist, but he agrees to bring word to his queen._**

"The impaired sense things us non impaired cannot" Tywin said wisely. Tyrion looked at his father oddly but said nothing.

 ** _Before departing for King's Landing, Tyrion fulfills an old ambition by climbing to the top of the Wall and urinating off the edge of it. He and Jon share a moment of fellowship before Tyrion departs for the capital in the company of Yoren._**

The occupants chuckled, even the wildlings found it amusing and only hoped that the thing fell on some crow's head.

 ** _Daenerys commands the khalasar to halt on a whim, exercising her growing authority and power. Viserys does not take well to being commanded and threatens his sister, whereupon he is lassoed around the neck by Rakharo, a Dothraki warrior wielding a whip. Daenerys calms the situation and Viserys is forced to walk, a sign of shame amongst the horse-riding Dothraki._**

"Got off lightly" Rhaegar mumbled. He was starting to hate his brother more and more.

 ** _Later, Irri reveals to Daenerys that Daenerys is pregnant._**

"Congratulations" Rhaegar said to his sister who nodded her head not noticing the sad look on her eyes. Something Jon did and held her hand in comfort as he knew why she was sad. Jon and Dany slept together but he didn't believe that the two could go any further than friends. It was just a moment between them after he had been wounded and she was in a bad place.

 ** _Daenerys relays the news to Khal Drogo and tells him she thinks it will be a boy as they lie naked in each other's arms._**

"Why are we seeing this" Rhaegar groaned, shielding his eyes. Other than Lyanna's giggle, there was no response.

 ** _Ser Jorah Mormont and Rakharo compare the Westerosi and Dothraki ways of battle: the heavily-armored but slow knights, with longswords good for piercing armor, versus the lightly-armored but fast-moving horse-warriors. Jorah has heard of Rakharo's father, a great warrior, but admits that he disgraced his own father, a man of great honor._**

Jeor's face softened. Jorah might have shamed him and firced him to take the black, but he was still his son and not much could change the love he had for him. Even if he preferred to keep it at the back of his mind, buried deep under.

 ** _When he learns that Daenerys is pregnant, he announces he must split off from the column to ride to the Free City of Qohor, but will rejoin them before they reach Vaes Dothrak._**

Jorah sighed and leaned back into his chair.


	5. 1-4

**_In Winterfell, Bran Stark has a nightmare in which he sees a raven with three eyes, sitting on one of the stone direwolves outside the doorway to the Stark crypts._**

Bran twitched slightly at that memory. It was after all the first time the old raven, Daryn had tried to contact him.

 ** _He wakes up to find his direwolf Summer by his side. Theon Greyjoy summons Hodor,_**

The Stark children from the future smiled at seeing their old innocent friend well and alive in a sense again.

 ** _the castle's dim-witted stableboy, who can only say the word "Hodor", to help carry Bran down to the great hall, where Robb Stark is hosting a meeting with Tyrion Lannister and Yoren, both traveling down from the Wall to King's Landing together. Robb very pointedly offers hospitality to any man of the Watch, silently letting Tyrion know he is not invited to stay at Winterfell._**

Catelyn sighs silently. Her oldest certainly had a good mix of the Southern and Northern temperament.

 ** _When Bran arrives, Tyrion sympathizes with him for being a cripple, which annoys Bran, as does asking him if he likes to ride, but Tyrion simply says it is the truth, no less so for being a hard truth. He gives the Starks the design of a saddle which will allow Bran to ride even in his current state. He does it to repay Bran's half-brother's friendship and because he has a weakness for "cripples, bastards and broken things." Due to this kindness, Robb says he can stay, but Tyrion says he would prefer the brothel in town._**

"Typical" Tywin said in disgust while Tyrion just smirked at him.

 ** _As he prepares to leave the castle, Theon comes to Tyrion and rather condescendingly sends him off, recommending the prostitute Ros at the brothel. Tyrion asks Theon why Lady Catelyn was not present to receive him and concludes that Catelyn is not in Winterfell. He also taunts Theon about how the son of the ferocious Balon Greyjoy has been reduced to playing lackey in Winterfell to his captors, which infuriates Theon, and gives him a coin, assuming that he has not already had sex with Ros._**

"That was good" Jaime whispered to Tyrion whose smirk got bigger.

 ** _Samwell Tarly joins the new recruits at Castle Black._**

Jon smiled at his best friend. Oh how the scared fat kid had grown up to be a brave man of the watch.

 ** _At Castle Black, a new recruit for the Night's Watch has arrived: Samwell Tarly, the son of the famous Lord Randyll Tarly._**

"He looks different from Lord Tarly's other son" Ned mused. "Combat doesn't suit him very well. He is more of a mind" Jon said softly. Ned nodded and watched his bastard son .. no his neohew.

 ** _Samwell is fat, soft and pampered, and in his first practice fight does dismally. Ser Alliser Thorne has no time for his weakness. He directs the other recruits to attack 'Ser Piggy', but Jon Snow finds this cruel and unfair, and takes pity on Sam and fends off the attackers. Thorne tries to turn it into a game, ordering three trainees take on Sam's protector, but Jon nevertheless fends them all off._**

Lyanna smiled proudly at her son on the screen.

 ** _Samwell is naive and self-deprecating, claiming to be a coward and craven, to Jon's astonishment. No one admits to being a coward, and Grenn says that they shouldn't even be seen talking to him. Sam joins Jon on the Wall for sentry duty, even though he says his eyesight is weak, he is afraid of heights, and can't take the cold. Jon asks why he joined the Night's Watch as he is afraid of everything. Sam tells him that on his eighteenth name day his father offered him a choice. Sam was a man and his heir, but he was not skilled at combat, he was unworthy of his name and birthright. Samwell's father forced him to join the Night's Watch, and told him that if he refused, he would arrange a "hunting trip" with his son in the woods, and implied that Sam would be killed in a way that looked accidental._**

"Never would have thought Lord Tarly would stoop this low" Catelyn hissed in rage joined in by Lyanna and Sansa. Ned sighed, it was a surprise to him but he could see Randyll Tarly do something like this. He was a ferocious warrior and hated weakness after all.

 ** _Jon is shocked that a true born son of high birth should be treated worse than he himself had been as a bastard._**

Catelyn blinked as her anger was quickly replaced by guilt and she shrunk into herself slightly. Lyanna wanted to say something at that moment but knew that the secret wasn't to come out yet, no wonder how much it hurt.

 ** _Sam knows that the next day he will be made to fight again and expects it to be bad. At the Wall, Jon orders the recruits to go easy on Sam, but Rast refuses, saying that if Ser Alliser orders him to fight 'Lady Piggy', he will slice himself off a side of bacon. In response to Rast's comments, Jon goes to his bed that night and uses his direwolf Ghost to intimidate Rast into playing along._**

Almost all of them smirked at that. Lyanna was proud to see that her son had grown up to be such a loyal man.

 ** _The next day, no one will fight Sam. After Grenn takes a very weak blow from Sam and yields, Ser Alliser scolds Jon for his rebellious actions. Later, when Jon and Sam are cleaning the dining hall, they talk about how neither of them have been with a woman. Sam tells Jon that he has not had success with girls, while Jon reveals he'd rather not risk siring a child that will have the life of a bastard like himself._**

Ned sighed while Catelyn shuffled uncomfortably. Sansa put a hand on Jon's shoulder and looked at him apologetically. Jon smiled at her and patted her head.

 ** _A furious Alliser Thorne comes in and tells Jon that this charity won't help Sam harden up to survive the winter that is coming. He tells them the truly horrific experience he went through trapped by a blizzard north of the Wall that ended in cannibalism._**

"The snow beyond the wall can be ruthless" Tormund grunted.

 ** _Khal Drogo's khalasar arrives at Vaes Dothrak, the Dothraki city. There are no city walls, but there is a large gateway arch made of two statues of rearing horses. Viserys is annoyed that Drogo has been taking 'his' army in the wrong direction. Later, he bathes with Doreah and tells her about how he was raised with stories about the Targaryen dragons and his own destiny. He recites the names of several dragons, and tells her about the skulls of dragons that once decorated the throne room at King's Landing, but she starts to annoy him with talk of dragons, reminding him that they are dead. He tells her to finish pleasuring him in silence. Viserys is enraged when Daenerys sends Doreah with an invite for him to dine with her, as he interprets this as his sister commanding him to come. He drags Doreah into Daenerys' tent, and insults her dinner and the gifts of clothes she tries to give him. He is still dressed in his now ragged clothes from Pentos, having refused to dress like a Dothraki, whom he regards as savages. He sneers that next she will try to braid his hair like a Dothraki. Angered by his ingratitude, Daenerys retorts that he has no right to braid his hair until he is victorious in battle, which further infuriates him. In his anger, Viserys tackles her to the ground and tries to strike her, calling her nothing but a "horselord's slut", and warning her that she's "awoken the Dragon", but this time she fights back, hitting him in the face with a metal and leather belt. She tells a stunned Viserys, who can only gawp at her in astonishment, that she is the Khal's wife, and is carrying his child, and warns that if he raises a hand against her again, he will lose his hands._**

Dany smiled to herself. This was the first time she had stood up to her 'brother' and that had helped to groom her to be the woman she as today.

 ** _Later, Daenerys confides in Mormont her realization that Viserys will never become King of Westeros. He is so weak and ineffectual that he couldn't command an army even if Drogo gave him one, to which Jorah agrees._**

"It was obvious from the moment I saw him" Jorah said honestly with a chuckle. Dany smiled at her oldest friend, "Yes. He was too weak willed and relied too much on domination" he said. "he would never have made a king if the people never trusted or liked him" Rhaegar added which Dany accepted with a smile and a nod.

 ** _In the Red Keep, Sansa Stark visits the Great Hall, where the Iron Throne sits. She and Septa Mordane discuss the expectation that Sansa will have to provide Joffrey with an heir. Sansa thinks the realm will hate her if she only has daughters, along with her belief Joffrey is still angry over the incident by the river and her anger at her father over Lady's death._**

"The septa never taught us anything about the duties of being an actual lady did she?" Arya whispered loud again startling Sansa. Sansa shook her head after a few, "just all needle work, marrying a lord and bearing heirs. No training in politics or how to maintain a house properly" she said with a hint of bitterness. Ned and Catelyn watched their daughters with set jaws. They needed to speak to the Septa after this was done.

 ** _During a meeting of the small council, Lord Eddard learns that the forthcoming tournament to celebrate his appointment is seeing the city swell with visitors, and has already resulted in a tavern riot, a brothel fire, three stabbings and a drunken horse race. He tells Littlefinger that money will have to be found to strengthen the city guards, as well as giving twenty of his own men to Janos Slynt's command, until the tournament is over. After the meeting Eddard talks to Grand Maester Pycelle about Jon Arryn's last few weeks. Pycelle said he did all he could to save Jon Arryn, but the illness was sudden and severe. He recalls that shortly before his sudden illness, Arryn had borrowed a truly boring book about the lineages of the Seven Kingdoms, and his last words were, "The seed is strong."_**

"Weird parting words" Ned frowned.

 ** _Taking the book with him, Eddard comes across Arya in the hall standing on one leg as part of her training with Syrio. Arya asks whether Bran would be able to live in King's Landing with them now that he's awoken, but Eddard states that he would have to regain his strength first. Arya then comments that Bran had always wanted to be a knight in the King's Guard, but will no longer be able to due to his paralysis._**

Ned looked to his crippled son and a pang of hurt hit his heart. His second youngest son had big dreams of being a knight, a member of the king's guard, to be someone strong. But it would seem fate had other plans for the boy.

 ** _Eddard confirms this to be the case, but states that Bran will be able to do many other things such as become lord of a holdfast, sit on the King's council, or raise castles. When Arya asks if she would be able to become any of those, Eddard instead tells her that she will marry a highborn lord and have lords and princes for sons. However, Arya is not pleased with this response, telling her father, "that's not me." She goes back to balancing on one leg as Eddard looks on. Littlefinger meets with Eddard and suggests that he keep his investigation into Jon Arryn's death lower in profile. He also gives Eddard some interesting intelligence: Jon Arryn's former squire has been knighted and will fight in the forthcoming Hand's tourney. He also advises him to investigate an armorer located in the city. Eddard decides that Littlefinger may be more trustworthy than he first thought, but Littlefinger discourages him from thinking that way._**

"Should have listened" Sansa muttered.

 ** _Eddard sends Jory Cassel to question Jon Arryn's former squire, Ser Hugh of the Vale. However, deducing that Jory was not a knight, Ser Hugh simply rebuffs him and refuses to speak with him due to his much lower rank. Eddard's investigation leads him to a smithy in the city, where he meets master smith Tobho Mott and his apprentice Gendry, whose work Jon Arryn was also apparently interested in._**

Jon grinned to himself seeing his newest ally as a wee trainee. Arya though kept her surprise to herself at figuring out who exactly Gendry was.

 ** _Eddard realizes that Gendry is one of King Robert's bastard sons, but can't work out why Jon Arryn would be interested in this: Robert has many bastard children and shows little interest in any of them._**

"Got that right" Robert rumbled.

 ** _Later, Eddard sends Jory with a message for King Robert, but upon arriving at his quarters, Jory hears the voices of a number of women coming from Robert's chamber. Ser Jaime Lannister happens to be on duty and is angry that the king keeps him guarding his chamber while he cavorts with other women inside, flaunting his dishonorable treatment of Jaime's sister in his face. He and Jory reminisce about the Greyjoy Rebellion, in which they both fought for King Robert's forces to put down an attempt by Balon Greyjoy to secede the Iron Islands from the rest of the realm. Jory tries to leave Eddard's message with Jaime, but is rebuffed, as Jaime angrily states that he does not serve Lord Stark._**

"Good times" Robert boomed out in laughter. Nobody was sure if he was talking about the war or just playing around with women.

 ** _The tournament begins and Sansa watches from the stands. Ser Gregor Clegane, the elder brother of Sandor Clegane, the Hound, takes the field. His first joust is with Ser Hugh. However, the friendly joust turns nasty and Gregor kills Ser Hugh "by accident", with a splinter of the lance impaling his neck. Littlefinger sits next to Sansa, and remarks that she and Joffrey have had a lover's quarrel._**

Catelyn narrowed her eyes.

 ** _Baelish then tells Sansa that Gregor, the "Mountain That Rides", has a dark reputation: he pushed his little brother Sandor's face into a fire for taking and playing with a toy of his when they were young, burning him severely. Littlefinger recommends that Sansa not spread that story around. Cersei visits Eddard at his chambers, remarking at how the Hand is not at his own tournament. Though Cersei attempts to start the conversation in an attempt to put the incident on the Kingsroad behind them, Eddard correctly deduces that she has an ulterior motive for her visit._**

"Like always" Stannis said.

 ** _Cersei then wonders aloud to Eddard what his true purpose is for being at King's Landing, as she knows how little Starks enjoy being in the capital. When Eddard tells her he is there to faithfully serve their King, Cersei remarks that just as his brother Brandon was born to lead, Eddard was born to follow._**

"She needs to watch what she says" Lyanna growled. Tywin wanted to defend his daughter but thought better of it. He was after all surrounded by his enemies. He needed to be smart and pick his battles.

 ** _At the Crossroads Inn, Catelyn and Ser Rodrik Cassel, traveling in secret to Winterfell, are eating a meal while troubadour Marillion tries to ingratiate himself with them. They are surprised when Tyrion Lannister and Yoren arrive. When told there is no vacancy, Tyrion holds up a gold coin and asks if someone has a room for him; sellsword Bronn agrees to give his to Tyrion. Marillion draws the attention of Tyrion to Catelyn's table, by offering to serenade him while he eats, singing of his father's military victories. Tyrion is surprised to see Catelyn and inadvertently ends her anonymity. Catelyn tells the stunned inn that Tyrion tried to murder her son Bran twice and that she asks their help in bringing him to the king's justice. The inn is located in the Riverlands, in the territory controlled by her father, so the knights present owe him their fealty. Tyrion finds himself surrounded by half a dozen men with swords, and in Catelyn's custody._**

Ned sighed to himself. Things just got complicated.


	6. 1-5

**_Tyrion Lannister has his blindfold removed and finds that their party, augmented by several knights and the sellsword Bronn from the Crossroads Inn, is on the Eastern Road en route to the Vale of Arryn._**

"Being blindfolded and tied up was the worst feeling ever" he stopped for a moment. "Scratch that, third worst feeling" he corrected himself. "I'm sorry?" Catelyn apologized lamely, not sure how to apologize for something she was yet to do.

 ** _Catelyn had been saying that they were riding for Winterfell often and very loudly. Tyrion congratulates her on her cunning, while pointing out that his father will give out a handsome reward for his safe return, a point that clearly piques Bronn's interest._**

Tyrion chuckled lightly.

 ** _Tyrion says that Lady Lysa Arryn has gone mad since her husband's death and will try to kill him in the Eyrie. He demand his innocence be known in the attempt on Bran's life and points out he'd have to be an idiot to give the assassin his own blade._**

"The small man has a point" Tormund grumbled.

 ** _Before Catelyn can answer, the party comes under attack from one of the hill tribes. Despite taking several losses, the party is able to drive off the attackers. Though having the opportunity to escape, Tyrion fights, killing his first man in the skirmish, and in doing so, saves Catelyn's life. Afterwards, they resume their trek to the Eyrie._**

Ned looked at the imp who was drinking his way to a probable early grave. He had misjudged the man.

 ** _In the High Hall of the Eyrie, Lady Lysa Arryn holds court on behalf of her young son, Robin. Lysa is furious that Cat has endangered them all by bringing Tyrion to the Vale. Tyrion points out that if he is harmed, there will be war with House Lannister, but Lysa is unconcerned about his threats, as the Vale is strongly-defended and the Eyrie is impregnable._**

"But with an full on assault by the Lannister forces and their vast allies, the Eyrie would fall easily" Stannis mumbled to himself.

 ** _She orders him sent to the sky cells: three-sided cells with the fourth open to a sheer drop down the mountain side. This forces Tyrion to huddle in a corner and try not to roll out to his death in his sleep. In Winterfell, Bran is angry about his mother's absence. Maester Luwin tries to set his mind at rest about the matter, to no avail. However, when Bran gets frustrated at not being able to practice his archery, Luwin suggests that he could learn to use a short bow, of the kind used in mounted combat by the Dothraki, a notion which pleases Bran._**

"That is a good idea" Dany said thinking about the boy's situation.

 ** _Elsewhere in the castle, Theon Greyjoy enjoys the attentions of his favorite whore, Ros, but becomes annoyed when she compares his prowess unfavorably to that of Tyrion Lannister._**

"He has ruined all other men for her" Jaime laughed.

 ** _Lord Eddard Stark arrives at the tourney ground to speak to Lord Commander Barristan Selmy about the death of Ser Hugh of the Vale._**

"Ser Barristan Selmy" Rhaegar smiled at seeing his old friend. Dany smiled sadly, her mind on his death.

 ** _Barristan notes that he had no family or friends so he stood the knight's vigil himself for Ser Hugh. Eddard is suspicious of Ser Hugh's death, wanting to know how he could afford a new set of armor so soon after being made a knight. Barristan reflects on the irony of them being on opposite sides of the war during Robert's Rebellion and now they are working together. He also tells Eddard that King Robert is planning to joust during the day's activities. Ned finds King Robert tormenting his squire, Lancel Lannister, finally sending him off on a snipe hunt in amused disgust. Robert is adamant about fighting in the joust but Ned tells him that he is too fat for his armor and the other knights would let him win. This frustrates Robert but he is forced to admit that Ned is right but at least they can watch the joust from the stands._**

"Only he could calm him with words" Lyanna shook her head.

 ** _The first tilt of the day is between the fearsome Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain, and the popular 'Knight of the Flowers', Ser Loras Tyrell. Loras gives a beautiful flower to Sansa Stark, while Littlefinger and Lord Renly make a wager on who will win with Renly betting on Loras. Loras is riding a mare that is in heat, which agitates and excites the Mountain's stallion, causing him to throw his rider._**

"Oh good plan" Tyrion said with a smirk.

 ** _Enraged at having lost, Gregor first decapitates his horse and then attacks Ser Loras. Sandor Clegane comes to Loras's defense, preventing his brother from killing him. They exchange several blows, until King Robert orders them to cease. Sandor immediately bows to the king, while Gregor storms off the field. Ser Loras declares Sandor the victor of the match to the Hound's discomfort._**

"He doesn't like too much attention on himself" Sansa said. Catelyn looked at her daughter with hidden surprise. How could she know that?

 ** _In the Red Keep, Lord Varys meets with Eddard. Varys tells him that the king is a fool and will soon be dead unless Ned can save him._**

"That dickless bald one is the one who would be dead soon if he doesn't shut his hole" Robert grumbled.

 ** _Ned wants to know why Varys is telling him this now. Varys tells him he had to be sure Ned could be trusted .He calls Ned an honorable and true man, maybe the only one in the city. He also confirms that Jon Arryn_** **_was assassinated with a poison called the Tears of Lys because he "started asking questions"._**

Both Ned and Robert sat up straight.

 ** _Later, Arya is chasing cats in accordance with her sword training. She chases one into the dungeons under the castle, where she finds the great dragon skulls of the Targaryens in storage._**

"Those do not deserve to stay there and collect dust" Dany said with a hint of anger in her voice.

 ** _She hears two men talking: Varys and Magister Illyrio Mopatis of Pentos. Varys says that events have been set in motion and the lion and the wolf_** **_will soon be at each other's throats._**

"Something tells me Varys is not the one startint this war" Robb muttered to Jon who nodded.

 ** _War is almost upon the Seven Kingdoms, as they planned, but it has come too soon. Khal Drogo will not invade Westeros until his son is born and pronounced healthy, which is still many months away. Illyrio suggests assassinating Eddard to forestall the war, but Varys refuses._**

"Thank you Varys" Catelyn thought.

 ** _Afterwards, Varys finds Littlefinger in the Great Hall staring at the Iron Throne. Varys reveals that he knows about Littlefinger's assistance in Eddard's investigation of Jon Arryn's death and reminds Littlefinger of the consequences that may befall him should the Lannisters discover his involvement. In response, Littlefinger reveals that he already knows about Varys having met with both Eddard and Illyrio just earlier that day, implying he knows of Varys's allegiances across the Narrow Sea._**

Catelyn's eyes narrowed. She was seeing less of the boy she had known in this man.

 ** _Their conversation is interrupted by Renly, who informs them that Robert will be joining them at their small council meeting._**

"There's a surprise" Stannis said.

 ** _Arya escapes from the dungeon and tries to warn her father about what she overheard but she gets the words muddled up. They are interrupted by Yoren, who has ridden non-stop from the Crossroads Inn to bring Eddard forewarning of Catelyn's arrest of Tyrion Lannister. Ned keeps the information to himself, while Arya asks Jory Cassel about the state of her father's household guard. Jory tells her she does not have to worry about her father's safety. At the meeting of the small council, King Robert tells Eddard that Daenerys Targaryen is pregnant and her son will have a claim to the Iron Throne. He wants Daenerys, the unborn child, and Viserys dead as soon as possible._**

"Viserys I agree. But spare the mother and child" Rhaegar pleaded only to be ignored.

 ** _Eddard states that this act would be dishonorable, cowardly, and beneath their dignity. The other members of the council: Pycelle, Renly, Littlefinger and Varys, all concur that Daenerys must die for the good of the realm. King Robert orders Ned to enact the order. He refuses and resigns as the Hand of the King, to Robert's utter disbelief and fury._**

"You would actually do that!? Of course you would. You and your bloody honor" Robert grumbled while Ned just patted his shoulder.

 ** _Eddard orders his household to begin packing. As Ned is packing, Littlefinger arrives and offers to take Ned to the last place Jon Arryn went before he "fell ill". Ned agrees._**

"Don't trust him" Catelyn suddenly said which had surprised Ned. He was seeing the two faces of that rat man but for his wife to see it too gave him a confirmation he never knew he needed.

 ** _Ser Loras and Lord Renly, who are lovers, meet in a bedchamber where Renly complains as Robert is organizing a hunt in the Kingswood, which will no doubt involve traipsing around the forest for a couple of weeks in the cold and rain waiting to kill some animal. Loras urges Renly to claim the crown himself, offering him the allegiance of his rich and powerful family. Renly dismisses the notion, since he is fourth in line to the Iron Throne. Loras points out that Joffrey is a monster, that Tommen is only eight and laughs at the notion of Robert and Renly's other brother, Lord Stannis, ever becoming king, as he has the charisma and personality of a lobster._**

"He has got that right" Robert roared with laughter and slapped his silently fuming brother on the back making him gasp slightly.

 ** _He also asserts that the people love Renly and want to serve him because he is kind and doesn't revel in violence as his brothers do. Queen Cersei and Robert share a rare drink and discuss the Targaryen threat. Surprisingly, Cersei takes Eddard's side, pointing out that the Dothraki cannot cross the Narrow Sea as they have no ships._**

"That is a good point" Ned muttered.

 ** _Robert agrees, but if they land and the knights of Westeros take shelter behind their castle walls, the Dothraki could simply burn and pillage their way up and down the continent until the smallfolk accept Viserys as their king regardless._**

"Another good point if they get ships" Robert points out.

 ** _Cersei suggests that the unified armies of the Seven Kingdoms could defeat them but Robert says she underestimates the skill and ability of one army with one leader and one purpose as compared to that of the scattered and patchwork armies of Westeros. Their discussion moves to Lyanna Stark, which surprises Robert, as in seventeen years Cersei has never asked about her. He tells her that Lyanna's death left in him a void that seven kingdoms could not fill. He also tells her that their marriage never had a chance of success because of the hold Lyanna's memory has on him, and bitterly adds he can barely remember what she looked like. Cersei says that she felt something for Robert once. She asks Robert if there was ever any chance for their marriage and he answers "no"._**

Jaime sighed at that and clenched his one fist. His sister was shipped off as a political asset for his family. She might have been in consent with that and it was the norm in their world, but he did not like it one bit.

 ** _Littlefinger brings Eddard Stark to the last place Jon Arryn went before falling ill, which is one of Littefinger's brothels. There Ned meets another one of Robert's bastards, this time a baby girl and her mother, a blond whore named Mhaegen. Mhaegen remarks that her child has Robert's nose and "black" hair. Eddard asks Littlefinger why Jon Arryn was searching for Robert's bastards but he says he doesn't know, offering the half-hearted guess that maybe Robert suddenly took paternal interest in them. Eddard looks skeptical of that reason._**

"Yeah right" Stannis snorted in disgust.

 ** _Leaving the brothel, Eddard, Jory Cassel, and the two guards that accompanied them are confronted by a large group of Lannister guardsmen led by Ser Jaime Lannister. Jaime has heard of Tyrion's arrest and demands an explanation. Ned says that Tyrion was arrested on his orders. Jaime threatens to kill him but Ned points out that if he does, Tyrion will die as well. Jaime acknowledges that this is true, so he says he will settle for killing Eddard's men instead. Ned's two guards, Heward and Wyl, are killed by Lannister spearmen in the opening seconds of the fight. In response, Ned and Jory fight and kill six of the Lannister soldiers. Jory engages Jaime but is quickly killed when Jaime stabs him through the eye with a dagger. Furious, Ned crosses swords with Jaime. Jaime is shocked and then exhilarated when the older Ned is not as easily defeated as he expected. However, Jaime gradually starts to grow worried as Ned's high level of skill becomes apparent._**

"He was years ahead of me in experience and skills" Jaime confessed much to the surprise of his father and Ned who never expected to hear that from his mouth.

 ** _Just as they are ready to clash again, a Lannister guardsman steps in and stabs Eddard through the leg with a spear, disabling him. Jaime is annoyed at the dishonorable interruption and knocks out the guardsman. He departs, telling Ned he wants his brother back._**

"I'd rather have a fair fight and die honorably than have someone stab my enemy in the back for me" Jaime said when the gaze of Ned fell on him. Ned was again in deep thought about the 'kingslayer' and what actually lied beneath his carefree and arrogant shell. At least the man he knew in his time.


	7. 1-6

**_Lord Eddard Stark wakes up after a long period of unconsciousness, due to the injuries inflicted on him by Jaime Lannister's men. He finds both King Robert Baratheon and Queen Cersei waiting._**

Ned raised an eyebrow seeing Cersei there at his bedside.

 ** _Cersei is furious with Eddard's acts in having her brother Tyrion arrested and attacking Jaime in the street._**

"Of course that was her reasoning" Ned thought to himself with a snort. "He did not attack Jaime it was the other way around" Lyanna fumed.

 ** _She wants Robert to take action against him, but Robert refuses to condemn him without hearing Eddard's side, and tells her to be silent. When Cersei protests further, and calls Robert a woman, he hits her._**

There were a round of gasps from the people of the past. Even Robert had winced at his own action.

 ** _She says that she will wear the bruise with honor. He tells her to be silent, or he will honor her again, and Cersei leaves in anger._**

This time Robert sighed, he did not like his own actions. Even if it was against that blasted woman.

 ** _Afterwards, Robert restores Eddard to his position as King's Hand, and tells him not to quit again, or he will give the position to Jaime Lannister._**

"Thank you for not quitting again" Jaime said honestly with a tint of humor to his voice. Ned nodded his head with a half smile.

 ** _He tells Lord Eddard to end the animosity between House Stark and House Lannister, as strife between these two powerful houses could lead them into war. He is leaving on a hunt and wants the realm at peace by the time he returns._**

"Isn't that his duty? To create peace?" Lyanna asked. "Sometimes" Ned began, "it's better to let the two parties sort it out rather than intervening" Jon finished and returned the smile Ned gave him. Lyanna looked at her son with a smile of her own, pride shining in her eyes.

 ** _Arya has another "dancing" lesson with Syrio Forel, but isn't in the mood due to Jory's death. Syrio tells her that she may need to fight at any time, not just when she's in the mood. He wisely reminds her that being prepared to fight is more important in times of sadness than in peaceful times of happiness._**

"Good man. Tells you the hard truth" Mance grunted.

 ** _King Robert is out hunting, accompanied by his brother Renly, Ser Barristan Selmy and Lancel Lannister. Robert, being supplied with wine by Lancel, becomes drunk and nostalgic, longing for the days of young knights trying to make a name for themselves and when enemies stood openly in opposition._**

"Not a time to be drinking Robert" Ned said with concern but Robert blew him off.

 ** _Robert brags about all the women he has bedded, but Renly becomes irate when he begins to question him about his history with women. Renly calls him a fool and remarks that the past had its share of violence that Robert is conveniently ignoring. Renly storms off, leaving Ser Barristan to look on concerned, as Lancel keeps up King Robert's wine supply._**

Robert sighed, he could understand his brother's reasoning far better now than in the future it seems. Must be the wine, he needed to cut off that.

 ** _In King's Landing, at a meeting of the small council, a group of refugees come to tell of how their villages have been destroyed. Eddard hears tales of a huge knight ravaging the Riverlands. He realizes that it's Ser Gregor Clegane, "The Mountain", who is likely under Lannister orders to punish the Riverlands - which are held by House Tully, the former House of his wife Catelyn, who now holds Tyrion captive._**

"It was probably Cersei" Jaime said when Catelyn was about to mouth off to Tywin. Catelyn looked at Jaime with anger, "she does whatever she wants without any sort of consult from anyone of us" Tyrion added to try and save his brother from womanly fury. Catelyn nodded and looked away, but she still looked very pissed off.

 ** _Even though King Robert told him to make peace with the Lannisters, Lord Eddard could not bring himself to let this injustice stand. Eddard strips Gregor Clegane of his knighthood, land, and titles, and sends Lord Beric Dondarrion with a retinue of one hundred knights to arrest and execute him in the king's name._**

"Would of done the same" Robert grunted.

 ** _He also orders Grand Maester Pycelle to send word to Casterly Rock, demanding Lord Tywin Lannister's presence in court to explain his bannerman's actions or be branded an enemy of the crown and a traitor to the realm. 'Littlefinger' Petyr Baelish, and Grand Maester Pycelle are both concerned with the harshness of these orders and Eddard's actions against the Lannisters, but Eddard wants to see justice done. Prince Joffrey comes to apologize to Sansa for the incident on the Kingsroad. He calls her his lady love and gives her a necklace._**

Sansa growled slightly.

 ** _Sansa forgives him, and they seem reconciled. Sansa is unaware that the Queen put Joffrey up to the apology some time ago._**

"Of course she did" she rolled her eyes.

 ** _Eddard decides to send his daughters back to Winterfell. Arya is worried that she must leave Syrio. Sansa protests that no one cares about her trivial dancing instructor, they are talking about breaking her betrothal to Joffrey._**

Sansa gives Arya an apologetic look which Arya returns with a small smile.

 ** _Lord Eddard says that he will find someone else for her. Sansa refuses—she is going to marry Joffrey and have lots of golden-haired babies. This gives Eddard pause and sends him back to the book that Jon Arryn was looking at before he died._**

"Oh god" Sansa moaned and buried her face into her hands. "It wasn't your fault" Jon said comfortingly, rubbing her back gently. "I gave him that idea. If I hadn't opened my big mouth" she rambled, "father would have found out some other way" Jon insisted. Sansa looked at her half-brother and sighed.

 ** _Consulting the book's entry on House Baratheon, Lord Eddard finds that every time a Baratheon has married, the children have had black hair…right up to Cersei and Robert's children, who are all blond._**

Realization dawned on Robert and he clenched his fists trying to reign in his anger.

 ** _In Winterfell, Bran has another dream about the Three-Eyed Raven, in which it flies into the castle's crypts. He wakes up to find that Hodor has brought the finished saddle designed by Tyrion. He goes on a ride with Robb and Theon. They have had word from King's Landing about Eddard's injury, Jory's death and Tyrion's capture. Theon thinks that Robb should prepare the North for war, but Robb is determined to make his own decision for when that time has come, and until then will follow his parents' orders to remain in Winterfell. They discover that Bran has wandered off on his horse and go looking for him. Robb finds a group of wildlings threatening Bran and trying to steal his horse. Robb kills two, but another wildling holds Bran with a knife to the throat. Theon shoots him from behind, angering Robb by endangering Bran. The remaining wildling, a woman named Osha, yields and begs for her life. Robb agrees to take her as a prisoner._**

Bran's lips curved up slightly at seeing Osha again. He remembers how Osha had died, throat slit by that bastard Ramsay.

 ** _Ros, the prostitute that Theon frequently sees, is departing Winterfell for King's Landing on the back of a turnip cart. Theon stops her and unsuccessfully tries to persuade her to stay. She explains that war is now imminent and the men of Winterfell are destined to leave soon and probably never return; her departure is thus an economically essential decision. He throws her a coin to get her to raise her skirt one last time. As she rides off he says that he will miss her. She agrees that he will._**

Robb snorts at the scene in amusement.

 ** _At the Eyrie, Tyrion almost rolls out of his sky cell in his sleep, to his consternation. He tries to make a bargain with the gaoler, Mord, to no avail. Tyrion convinces Mord to carry a message to Lady Lysa Arryn and, in exchange, he will give Mord the gold he had with him when he was captured. Lysa summons Tyrion, believing that the sky cell has broken his spirit, but all he confesses to is being a liar, a whoremonger, and a player of practical jokes. He maintains his innocence of the crimes of conspiracy to commit murder._**

"Still very true" Jaime said. "Thanks brother" Tyrion rolls his eyes.

 ** _However, Tyrion uses the opportunity of his audience in front of Lysa's court to publicly demand his right to justice and a trial, and Lysa is shamed into agreeing. Given that Lysa's son is a young boy and wouldn't make a good judge in a formal trial, Tyrion instead demands a trial by combat, which Lysa also reluctantly agrees is his right. Given that neither Lysa nor her young son can fight in a trial by combat, she asks for a volunteer to be her champion, and Ser Vardis Egenagrees. Egen is unwilling to fight Tyrion however, as killing such an outmatched opponent would be dishonourable. Tyrion names his own champion: his brother Jaime, considered one of the best swordsmen in the realm. At this Lysa does object, as Jaime is not present and she does not want to wait. She demands that he pick a champion from those present. Tyrion desperately asks for volunteers, and after a long pause during which it seems that Tyrion's cause is lost, the sellsword Bronn steps forward and says he will stand for him._**

"And that's how it all began" Jaime chuckled.

 ** _Bronn fights defensively, waiting for Vardis to tire, as unlike Bronn he is dressed in full armor. Bronn finally gets his chance; he first wounds and then kills Vardis, sending his body rolling out of the "Moon Door" that leads to a thousand-foot drop. Lysa complains that Bronn did not fight with honor. Bronn agrees, but indicates that Vardis did fight with honor. Tyrion has proven his innocence in the eyes of the gods. He retrieves his gold from Ser Rodrik and gives it to Mord. When Robin asks if he can make the little man fly now, Tyrion says, "This little man is going home." Bronn and Tyrion are allowed to depart._**

"Honor or not that man can fight" Robert said, his interest on the sellsword and how he could bring him to his side. Ned agreed with that statement, although a bit grudgingly.

 ** _In Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys Targaryen is studying her dragon eggs. Despite Illyrio's claim that they are now only stone, she ponders if they might be hatched by extreme heat, and places an egg on a brazier. Nothing happens, to her disappointment. She is removing the egg from the brazier, when Irri comes in and thinks she will burn herself. Irri takes the egg from her, but Daenerys is completely unharmed, and it is Irri who suffers burns on her own hands._**

Rhaegar smiled brightly at that. The blood of the dragon was strong in his sister.

 ** _Daenerys is summoned by the crones who rule the city, the dosh khaleen, the wives of khals slain in battle. She eats a stallion's heart and the crones read the omens._**

"Oh gross" Sansa pulled a face while Lyanna made gagging noises. "It was" Dany added as she tried to hold down her rising bile.

 ** _At first it seems Dany won't keep the raw meat down, but, to both her and Drogo's relief, she is able to compose herself. The crones declare Daenerys and Drogo's son will be "The Stallion That Mounts The World", a great conqueror whose coming is long foretold in Dothraki history. Daenerys says his name will be "Rhaego", for her brother Rhaegar, slain by the usurper Robert Baratheon._**

Rhaegar smiled softly.

 ** _Viserys is not impressed and rather disgusted by it all, despite an explanation of the ritual from Jorah Mormont. It is only when the Dothraki are chanting Rhaego's name, and Drogo lifts Daenerys up and carries her about the room, that Viserys realizes they love her._**

Rhaegar rolled his eyes in disgust.

 ** _Jealous of the tribe's worship of his sister, Viserys storms out of the tent. He is later discovered in Daenerys' tent by Ser Jorah Mormont, trying to steal Dany's dragon eggs, but Jorah won't let him. Viserys tells Ser Jorah that to rule one must be feared or loved, and he has never been loved as the Dothraki love Dany. He says he knows that Jorah wants Daenerys, but he doesn't care. He just wants the eggs so he can hire an army, but he can't get past Ser Jorah and must leave the eggs. Mormont watches him as he leaves._**

Jeor gave his son a very rare proud look which made Jorah's insides warm up.

 ** _Drunk, bitter and angry, Viserys interrupts a feast for Daenerys and Drogo. He angrily demands his payment in return for giving Daenerys to Drogo. Then he draws his sword, which is considered an offense punishable by death in the sacred city, and threatens Dany and the unborn child, while Irri translates to Drogo._**

"He is going to die isn't he" Rhaegar asked. Dany just looked at him and that was all the confirmation he needed.

 ** _Drogo responds that he will give Viserys a golden crown "that men will tremble to behold", and Viserys is pleased until Drogo's bloodrider Qotho seizes him and breaks his arm, making him drop the sword, and kicks him to the floor. Drogo melts his golden belt of medallions in a pot, while Viserys begs Daenerys to help him. Ser Jorah tells her to look away, but she won't. She watches as Khal Drogo "crowns" Viserys by pouring molten gold over his head, causing Viserys to cry out horridly in agony. As Daenerys watches her brother die, she coldly states that, having been killed by fire, Viserys was no true dragon._**

"That was….brutal. Necessary but brutal" Rhaegar mumbled out loud. He had prepared himself, but he was not prepared for the manner that Viserys was killed. He might have been his little brother, but he was an exact image of his mad father, someone even Rhaegar wanted dead at that point. So, with a little bit of sadness which was dominated by his happiness at seeing another 'mad king' die, he continued his watch.


	8. 1-7

**_On the borders of the Riverlands, Lord Tywin Lannister has assembled an army of sixty thousand men, with which he plans to oppose the Starks and punish Catelyn's capture of his son Tyrion Lannister._**

"Or to be clear, avenge his hurt pride" Tyrion snorted in disgust.

 ** _As he stands in his tent skinning a dead stag, he tells his elder son, Jaime, that this conflict will decide the fate of their family; they will either forge a dynasty that will last a thousand years or cease to exist, as the Targaryens had done. He orders Jaime to become the man he was meant to be, and to take thirty thousand men and besiege Riverrun, Catelyn's childhood home and the seat of House Tully. Jaime ponders why Tywin would risk so much for the ugly, stunted son that he hates, but to Tywin a Lannister is a Lannister - even though he considers Tyrion the least worthy member of their family, any affront to their family must be punished or it makes them look weak._**

"And there is your proof all those who doubted" Tyrion said in a grand fashion. Though no one had disbelieved him in the beginning.

 ** _In Winterfell, Theon Greyjoy attempts to bully Osha, the wildling woman captured in the recent raid. He insists that she refer to him as "My Lord", but she is unimpressed with his antics. She points out that he is not entitled to this, as his father is still alive._**

Robb grunted slightly, not liking the behavior Theon had shown. She was a woman after all. A wildling but a woman nonetheless.

 ** _Maester Luwin dismisses Theon and questions Osha about why her band crossed the Wall and were fleeing "as far south as south goes". She claims that the White Walkers have awoken after a millennia asleep and are coming south, to Luwin's skepticism._**

"Yeah he won't believe that easily" Lyanna chuckled lightly.

 ** _Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly are standing watch atop the Wall when Benjen's horse is spotted returning, but, to Jon's horror, there is no sign of Benjen himself._**

Older brother and sister sat up in worry at what they just learned.

 ** _Later on, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont names the trainees as men of the Night's Watch. He hands out assignments, but to Jon's disgust he is being sent to the stewards, not the rangers. He will work directly for the Lord Commander as his personal steward. His attempts to plead his case to Maester Aemon are met with indifference. However, Sam suggests to Jon that while this move was possibly orchestrated by Ser Alliser Thorne to punish Jon, it is also an opportunity for the Lord Commander to groom Jon directly for command._**

"You did exactly that" Jon said with a small smile. Jeor looked at the man from the future and then looked at the sword he wielded with a slight widening of his eyes. So he had found a worthy successor.

 ** _Both are surprised when Pypar admits that he was sent to the Watch for refusing to give sexual favors to a lord, not for stealing a wheel of cheese to feed his sister as he had previously claimed. Nothing about being sent to the Wall is fair._**

"Sounds like Renly" Robert said with a short laugh.

 ** _Convinced, Jon and other worshipers of the Old Gods of the Forest say their oath of fealty to the Night's Watch in front of a heart tree just inside the eaves of the Haunted Forest and are acknowledged as men of the Watch. Sam decided to take the oath with Jon, as the Seven gods his father worshiped have never seemed to answer him. After they take their oaths, Ghost finds a severed hand in the woods and brings it back to Jon and a horrified Sam._**

"The gods have heard your prayers Samwell Tarly" Tyrion said and took a sip off his chalice.

 ** _In Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys attempts to convince Khal Drogo about the benefits of an invasion of the Seven Kingdoms, but Drogo is reluctant to cross the Narrow Sea, despite the thousands of ships they could find in the Free Cities to do the job. He says that a man doesn't need an "iron chair" but only a horse. Daenerys travels to the marketplace with Ser Jorah Mormont and her handmaidens. She asks Jorah to help convince her husband since the Seven Kingdoms are hers by birthright, but he reminds her that her ancestor Aegon the Conqueror took six of the Seven Kingdoms because he was capable of doing so with dragons. A Little Bird gives Jorah a message from Varys, a royal pardon for his crimes; he quickly realizes that this news would only come if he was no longer needed as a spy. Seeing Daenerys with a wineseller who is keen for her to try a particular vintage from the Arbor, Jorah realizes that the wine has been poisoned; this is the assassination attempt. Having second thoughts, he steps in and stops Daenerys from drinking it. The wineseller attempts to flee, but Rakharo brings him down with a bolo tangling his ankles. With the wine seller captured, Ser Jorah tells Daenerys that Robert Baratheon will never stop trying to kill her and her future children. Drogo quickly arrives in the tent. He glares at the seller and then goes to Daenerys to ensure she is okay, before offering Jorah the reward of any horse he chooses for foiling the assassination. Enraged, he begins to yell out in Dothraki that his army will cross the "poison water" as no khalasar has done before and take the Iron Throne for his son._**

"One way to convince a man" Rhaegar thought.

 ** _Drogo's khalasar departs Vaes Dothrak the next morning, with the wine seller tied naked to the saddle of Daenerys' horse, forced to walk until he eventually falls of exhaustion and is dragged to his death._**

"These Dothraki's are brutal" Robb said.

 ** _Lord Eddard Stark meets with Cersei Lannister. He tells her that he knows the secret that Jon Arryn died for: that Cersei's three children are not Robert's, but the product of incest between her and Jaime._**

"Of course he did that" Catelyn groaned. Sometimes her husband's honor irked her immensely and made her hope that he would lower that bar like the time he had bedded some whore and brought Jon. "But he didn't do that" a voice whispered into her ears. Catelyn sighed again.

 ** _Cersei does not deny the charge and in fact is proud of it, comparing their love to the old Targaryen practice of marrying brother to sister; she also admits to having despised Robert ever since their wedding night, when Robert drunkenly stumbled into Cersei's bed and called her "Lyanna"._**

The male populous groaned while Lyanna gave Robert a disappointed look that made him squirm.

 ** _Eddard angrily tells her to take her children and leave the city immediately. When Robert returns from his hunt, he will tell him the truth of the matter and Cersei should run as far as she can before that happens, lest Robert's wrath find her. Cersei icily calls Ned a fool for turning down the throne himself after the sack of King's Landing. Eddard tells her that he has regrets, but that isn't one of them. Cersei departs with a chilling warning: "When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground."_**

"Oh no" Lyanna groaned.

 ** _In one of his brothels, Littlefinger instructs the newly-arrived Ros and another prostitute, Armeca, on how to please their customers and make them happy. When they ask him to join them, he refuses, saying that he only ever had eyes for one woman. He tells them about his past, how he loved and fought a duel for a woman._**

Catelyn sighed, knowing exactly what had happened.

 ** _He lost and subsequently realized that he could never beat those in power by honorable means, as they would never let him compete on equal terms. When Ros asks him what he wants, he says, "Oh, everything."_**

And now Catelyn narrowed her eyes in anger and distrust.

 ** _Renly finds Eddard and tells him that Robert has been badly mauled by a boar and is not expected to survive._**

"Probably all that wine" Robert grunted.

 ** _Eddard finds Robert telling Joffrey that he wishes he could have been a better father to him. Eddard chooses not to tell Robert about his discoveries to spare his final hours from pain. Robert instructs Eddard to take a letter naming him as the Lord Protector of the Realm, to rule until Joffrey comes of age. Eddard does not write Joffrey's name, instead saying "the rightful heir". Robert also asks him to cancel the attempt on Daenerys Targaryen's life. Leaving the chamber, Eddard talks to Varys, who slyly points out that Lancel Lannister ensured the King kept "refreshed" with alcohol during the hunt, meaning his reactions were slowed and unreliable. Varys also says it is far too late to stop the attempt on Daenerys' life._**

"So it was Cersei" Robert thought angrily. He needed to deal with that woman as soon as possible.

 ** _At King's Landing, Renly confronts Eddard and offers him a hundred swords to take the queen and her children into custody, but Eddard refuses to dishonor Robert's last hours by shedding blood in the Red Keep and taking frightened children hostage. Renly suggests that he could make a good king, but Eddard angrily points out that Stannis is Renly's older brother and the true heir. In his study he writes a letter laying out his findings to Lord Stannis and instructs a courier to take the message to Dragonstone, Stannis's island fortress. Littlefinger then arrives and talks to Eddard, who tells him the truth about Joffrey's parentage. Littlefinger suggests that they keep quiet, acknowledge Joffrey as king and make him their puppet. If he proves intractable, they can reveal the truth and crown the more malleable Renly instead. Eddard considers this treason. Littlefinger realizes that even though Lord Eddard has Robert's edict naming him Regent and Protector of the Realm, he doesn't have the men he needs to seize control from Cersei. He needs the loyalty of the City Watch. Littlefinger understands that the honorable Eddard Stark can't come right out and ask him to bribe them, but agrees to do what needs to be done._**

"If he can so easily go against the crown, I wonder how easily he can turn on others" Lyanna said coldly which made dread settle into Catelyn's stomach.

 ** _In King's Landing, Eddard is summoned to the throne room by "King Joffrey"; Robert has died. He arrives to find Littlefinger and Varys waiting for him, along with Commander Janos Slynt and a detachment of the City Watch. Varys tells him that Renly has fled the city, along with Ser Loras Tyrell and a number of retainers. They were last seen heading south. The party enters the throne room, where Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne. He demands oaths of fealty from his councilors and subjects. Instead, Eddard gives Ser Barristan Selmy the proclamation naming him as Lord Protector of the Realm. To Barristan's shock, Cersei takes the "paper shield" and tears it up._**

Robert gritted his teeth in anger.

 ** _Instead, she suggests that Eddard bend the knee and swear allegiance. In return he will be allowed to return to Winterfell. Eddard responds that Joffrey has no claim to the Iron Throne and commands Slynt to take the Queen and her son into custody. Instead, the City Watch kill Eddard's bodyguards and Littlefinger holds a knife to his throat, saying, "I did warn you not to trust me."_**

Catelyn with a look of absolute anger, made an oath to herself. She would personally see this snake die.


	9. 1-8

**_Jon and Sam return to Castle Black with their party and two dead bodies in tow. The two corpses are identified as members of Benjen Stark's missing ranging party, Jafer Flowers and Othor._**

Ned frowned in worry for his brother, joined in by his sister and his wife.

 ** _Though the deceased appear to have been dead for some time, Sam astutely notes that the bodies do not smell like they have been rotting. Jon and several other Sworn Brothers urge Lord Commander Jeor Mormont to burn the bodies, but he refuses, wanting Maester Aemon to examine them._**

"They should be burned at once" Mance said. Jeor gave a look at his enemy for a good while, "Maester would first examine them" he said with finality.

 ** _Jon is summoned to Mormont's chambers as news has arrived of Eddard's arrest and imprisonment. When Jon asks for news of his father, Mormont tells Jon he has been arrested for treason. Jon is in disbelief and Mormont gives Jon the letter to read for himself. A devastated Jon attempts to leave before Mormont tells him not to do anything stupid and reminds him of the oath he has sworn to the Night's Watch. When Jon expresses concern for his sisters, Mormont replies he is sure they are unharmed._**

"We were unharmed" Sansa confirmed for her worried parents.

 ** _Later on, Alliser Thorne taunts Jon that his father is a traitor, calling him, "not just a bastard, a traitor's bastard."_**

"He's the real bastard here" Catelyn said in anger.

 ** _Jon angrily charges at him with a knife and Thorne is only saved by Grenn and Pyp, who hold Jon back. Commander Mormont witnessed the incident and confines Jon to quarters for his trouble. That night, Jon is aroused by a whining Ghost scratching at the door. Sensing trouble, Jon and his direwolf head to the Lord Commander's chambers where Jon is confronted by a wight, the reanimated corpse of the dead Night's Watchman._**

"You fought one of those!?" Ned stared in disbelief. Jon shrugged, "We get to fight groups of them now. And soon a whole army lead by the Night King" he said striking fear into the people of the past's hearts.

 ** _Though Jon is able to stab the wight through the chest with his sword, the wight simply removes the sword and is unharmed. Mormont appears, seeking out the commotion. Jon grabs Mormont's oil lamp and throws it at the wight, finally destroying it. The morning after, the two wight bodies have been thoroughly burned. Sam says he read in a book that the dead are animated by the touch of the White Walkers and only fire can destroy such creatures. He hopes the Wall is big enough to hold them back when the Walkers come in force._**

"Not when they have a" Jon stopped himself when he saw Dany slump in her seat.

 ** _At the Eyrie, Catelyn is furious with Lysa: first for Lysa not immediately notifying her about Eddard's arrest and second, for refusing to consider summoning the knights of the Vale to war. Lysa, despite her actions of setting this in motion by implicating the Lannisters in Jon Arryn's death, does not believe that war is in the Vale's best interests. Lysa wants the knights to stay in the Vale to protect her son and their Lord._**

"Something is off here" Stannis thought. After all if Ned was arrested, why would Lysa not send her men to war? Protecting their lord was not a good excuse at all.

 ** _Tyrion and Bronn have reached the western edge of the Vale and are surrounded by members of the hill tribes, led by a fearsome warrior named Shagga. At first, he orders them to be killed, but Tyrion does some fast-talking and convinces the hill tribes that House Lannister is an enemy of the House Arryn and its rulers. He proposes an alliance which will allow the tribes to enact vengeance against House Arryn and take ownership of the lands of the Vale. They eagerly agree, and escort Tyrion and Bronn westwards towards where the Lannister armies are gathering._**

"Clever" Tywin admitted begrudgingly.

 ** _Robb receives a letter from Sansa in King's Landing, asking him to pledge fealty to King Joffrey._**

"Cersei had ways of being…persuasive when it comes to getting things done in her favor" Sansa said softly.

 ** _Maester Luwin correctly deduces the letter is actually the work of the Queen. Robb refuses to consider the request and sends out ravens, summoning the lords bannermen of the North and their armies to assemble at Winterfell. Released ravens fill the sky._**

"Don't go to war son" Ned sighed. "They have you as prisoner!" Robb argued. "Yes but your sisters are still there and our men won't be able to stand against the southern army easily. As a leader you must carefully chose your fights. Weighs the pros and cons even if things go against you" Ned advised.

 ** _At Winterfell, Robb holds a feast for several of his newly-arrived bannermen. Jon Umber assumes that he will lead the vanguard, and is offended by the suggestion that he would be made to march behind a Glover, threatening to withdraw from the host. In response, Robb promises that, after the conflict with the Lannisters, he will oust Greatjon from his keep and hang him for breaking his oaths to House Stark; when the enraged bannerman goes to draw a weapon, Robb's direwolf Grey Wind sets upon him, biting off two of his fingers. Robb recites 'that it [is] death to bear steel against your liege lord' but then diffuses the situation by excusing Greatjon's aggression, saying that 'doubtless, the Greatjon only meant to cut my meat for me'. The Greatjon roars with laughter and accepts Robb's commands, much to the shock of Bran, who witnessed the entire incident. Robb says farewell to Bran and to Rickon, who is convinced he'll see neither Robb nor his parents again._**

"How ids know of things" Dany thought.

 ** _Bran prays by the heart tree when he is approached by Osha who tells him the Old Gods of the Forest are listening to him and that the wildlings also worship the Old Gods. She laments that the South has lost touch with the past; the southern Weirwoods were cut down years ago and the Southerners have no idea what's awakening in the north. They are interrupted by Hodor who was bathing and has forgotten to put his clothes back on, and Osha remarks that he might have giant blood in him before Bran sends him away._**

The room chuckled slightly. "Oh Hodor" Sansa said fondly.

 ** _Curious, Bran asks her if giants live beyond the wall. She affirms they do, as well has many other beings, though not all of them are friendly. She asserts that the army Robb has gathered should be marching north, not south. Catelyn and Ser Rodrik Cassel intercept Robb's army in the Neck as it presses southwards. Robb initially exclaims with excitement upon seeing his mother, but stops short of embracing her lest he look weak in front of his bannermen. Catelyn looks at her son with understanding, later embracing once their liege-lords have left their tent. She tells Robb he has no choice but to go to war. However, he cannot lose, for the sake of Ned, Sansa, and Arya, as if he is defeated, Tywin Lannister will show their family no mercy._**

Ned sighs. This was not what he wanted for his family.

 ** _Later on, Robb and his lords are debating on the route of their march, and on whether to march directly against Tywin's army or against Jaime's army besieging Riverrun. To get to Jaime, they need to cross the Green Fork of the River Trident, and the only crossing is at the Twins, held by the notoriously prickly and easily-offended Lord Walder Frey. A Lannister scout is captured, and Robb sends him back to warn Lord Tywin that twenty thousand Northern soldiers are marching against him._**

"Frey" Arya's eyes hardened.

 ** _Tyrion, Bronn, Shagga and the rest of the hill tribesmen arrive at the Lannister encampment, to find Lord Tywin Lannister and his brother, Ser Kevan, planning to engage the Stark army, which is moving south from the Neck. Tywin shows no sign of relief that his son is alive._**

"Of course he wouldn't" Tyrion said bitterly.

 ** _Tywin accepts the aid of the hill tribesmen, but Shagga will only fight if Tyrion fights alongside them, a prospect which Tywin welcomes and terrifies Tyrion. In Essos, Khal Drogo having taken an oath to take the Iron Throne, has begun his march of conquest to the Narrow Sea. The Dothraki raid a village in Lhazar, a peaceful country to the south-east of Vaes Dothrak. To finance the war to come, they must raid villages and take people to sell into slavery, thereby gaining the money to hire ships for the khalasar to assault Westeros. Ser Jorah and others try to explain this to Daenerys, but she is disturbed to see the aftermath, the Dothraki killing the villagers and raping their women, and orders it stopped. The Dothraki grow angry at not being able to take the spoils of victory, as that is the Dothraki way. She starts claiming all the women they see to protect them. The angry warriors take their complaints to Khal Drogo, but he is amused at his wife's fierceness. He tells them that Daenerys may keep the women she has claimed, they can find others._**

"TO think I'd see a Dothraki actually love" Jeor mumbled. Dany smiled sadly at her first husband.

 ** _One man won't listen, and angrily accuses Drogo of being slave to a foreign whore. Khal Drogo stops the complaints by killing Mago, the offended warrior who challenges him. Drogo takes a deep wound to the chest in the process. Though Drogo dismisses it as a scratch, Daenerys insists it be treated and allows one of the women she rescued, a healer called Mirri Maz Duur to treat the wound, despite the distaste of Drogo's bloodriders, who derisively call the woman maegi (a witch)._**

"It was good of you to get that looked up" Lyanna said honestly, with a small smile.

 ** _Lannister soldiers complete their purge of the Stark guards and household staff. Sansa and Septa Mordane hear sounds of fighting. When they are confronted by Lannister guardsmen led by Sandor Clegane, Septa Mordane tells Sansa to run and lock herself in her room while she stays to confront them. However, Sandor later finds and takes Sansa into custody._**

Catelyn's hands clenched.

 ** _More Lannister guardsmen, this time led by Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard, interrupt a "dancing" lesson between Syrio Forel and Arya. Syrio holds Arya back, questioning why Lord Eddard would send Lannister men to find Arya. She then refuses to go with them, and when they try to force the issue Syrio disarms and disables all of the lightly-armored guardsmen with his wooden practice sword. He tells Arya to run as he faces down Trant, noting that for himself, "the First Sword of Braavos does not run."_**

"A brave and skilled man" Rhaegar acknowledged.

 ** _Arya runs to the stables where the men waiting with their baggage were supposed to be to take them to the ship for Winterfell. The men are dead, but she finds her real sword, Needle, in the bottom of her trunk. Arya then starts to leave the stables. When a stableboy tries to grab her, Arya turns around brandishing Needle and accidentally runs him through and kills him. Horrified, she flees._**

"Her first kill" Ned and Catelyn's eyes widened.

 ** _Varys visits Eddard Stark in his cell in the dungeons. He is incredulous that Eddard trusted Littlefinger over him, and even more so that he warned Cersei what he was going to do._**

"That was stupid of you to do" Robert grunted. "It was the honorable thing to do" Ned countered with a heated look. "Yeah? See where your honor got you" Robert grunted and looked away when Ned couldn't reply.

 ** _Eddard says he wanted to extend mercy to Cersei's children, whom Robert would have killed if he'd known the truth. Varys bluntly tells Eddard that his mercy is what killed King Robert, to Eddard's shame. Varys then tells him that Catelyn also no longer holds Tyrion as her prisoner, meaning that the Starks have nothing to barter with for Eddard's life. When Eddard suggests they should just kill him, Varys says "Not today, my lord." As he departs, Eddard asks Varys who he truly serves: Varys, in a rare display of honesty, replies "The realm, my lord. Someone must."_**

"A real servant of the realm than any lords" Dany mused.

 ** _Cersei and the remainder of the small council, comprised of Grand Maester Pycelle, Varys, and Littlefinger, summon Sansa to inform her that her father has been arrested for treason. They manipulate Sansa into writing a letter to her brother Robb, asking him to bend the knee peacefully to Joffrey. They add that Eddard's fate may depend on what his son and the other Northern lords do. Sansa agrees to write the letter._**

Sansa sighs, "I was naïve to think that bastard would show mercy."

 ** _Later on, King Joffrey holds court in the Red Keep. Janos Slynt, commander of the City Watch, is to be made Lord of Harrenhal as a reward for his loyal service. Cersei then dismisses Ser Barristan Selmy as head of the Kingsguard, noting that the time has come for an honorable retirement. Selmy is confused, pointing out that Kingsguard serve for life, but Joffrey angrily says that Selmy is too old, and wasn't able to protect his father, King Robert Baratheon. Selmy's disgrace is only compounded when he learns his post as Lord Commander is to be given to Jaime Lannister, much to his disgust. Varys announces that Selmy is to be given a castle and land in recognition of his years of service, but the old knight, insulted by what he sees as being offered "a hall to die in and men to bury me," takes off his armor, throws his sword at Joffrey's feet and storms out, stating that he could still kill all five of the other Kingsguard present with ease._**

"He definitely could" Jaime said honestly. At that time, he was certain that none of the guards would survive if Barristan had actually attacked and intended to kill them.

 ** _Sansa begs Joffrey for her father's life, claiming that the medicine he was taking for his injured leg was responsible for his treasonous talk. Joffrey says that her sweet words have moved him and he will spare Eddard, if he bends the knee to him and acknowledges him as king. Sansa says he will._**

"He might" Robb thought hopefully.


	10. 1-9

_**Robb's army has reached**_ _ **the Twins**_ _ **, the heavily fortified crossing over the**_ _ **Green Fork**_ _ **of**_ _ **Trident River**_ _ **.**_ _ **Theon Greyjoy**_ _ **shoots down messenger ravens, so no word of their presence can be relayed, but finds nothing more but messages to extended family members. To enter the castle would be perilous for Robb, so Catelyn Stark enters to negotiate their crossing the river. Though held by**_ _ **House Frey**_ _ **, bannermen to**_ _ **Catelyn Stark**_ _ **'s**_ _ **father**_ _ **, Lord**_ _ **Walder Frey**_ _ **has not yet taken up arms.**_

Catelyn scowled at this. Walder Frey was her father's bannerman and a man she despised. He was snake in human clothings and someone she could never trust. For her to go meet him and strike a deal, she must be really desperate. Then against her husband was in jail for his honesty so she was very desperate.

 _ **When called up, he says he had been preparing to march, and was just waiting for all his forces to arrive.**_

"The Late Lord Frey" Robert snickered, referring to a nick name the lord of the Trident earned in the last war.

 _ **In reality, he waited to see which side was winning before deciding whether to get involved. Now, as the Tully's army has been defeated and**_ _ **Riverrun**_ _ **is held by the Lannisters, he wants to know why he should be helping Robb and taking up arms against the king. After some hard bargaining between Catelyn and Walder, they strike a deal: the Freys will join Robb's cause, allow him to cross and commit troops to his army, but in return both Robb and**_ _ **Arya**_ _ **must each marry one of Walder's own children.**_

"I think I'm going to be sick" Robb groaned. "It can't be that bad" Catelyn argued softly, but even she knew how bad it could be.

 _ **Robb agrees, though noting that Arya won't like it. Robb must also take**_ _ **Olyvar Frey**_ _ **as a squire. The**_ _ **Lannister**_ _ **armies prepare for battle.**_ _ **Tywin**_ _ **tells his son**_ _ **Tyrion**_ _ **that he means to use the**_ _ **hill tribe**_ _ **forces to give them an edge against the**_ _ **Stark**_ _ **army, essentially to be used as cannon fodder. He orders Tyrion to lead them from the front of the vanguard. Tyrion angrily accuses his father of trying to kill him. He storms back to his tent to find that**_ _ **Bronn**_ _ **has found him, as per instruction, a**_ _ **whore**_ _ **named**_ _ **Shae**_ _ **. Tyrion takes an immediate liking to her.**_

 _Tyrion tightened his grip around his chalice. "Shae" he whispered in a hard voice._

 _ **When told they go into battle in the vanguard in the morning, Bronn goes off to find a whore for himself.**_

"Going out with a bang" Jaime snorted in amusement. "I don't think that's what that saying is used for brother" Tyrion rolled his eyes but he saw the humor in that sentence as evident by the small smile on his lips.

 _ **Tyrion, Bronn, and Shae play a drinking game the night before the battle. Tyrion makes observations and if he is correct the person has to drink. He guesses correctly that Bronn has been beyond the Wall and killed someone before he was twelve years old.**_

"I didn't know he went beyond the wall" Jaime muttered. Tyrion smirked, "There is a lot you don't know about our good friend Bronn" he said.

 _ **Tyrion guesses that Shae's mother was a whore, her father deserted them, and she is low born; however he is wrong on each guess. Tyrion cannot read Shae's personality, but this only makes her more intriguing to him. When Shae starts to question Tyrion,**_ _ **Bronn**_ _ **reveals that he heard Tyrion was once married. Reluctantly, Tyrion explains that when he was very young, he and**_ _ **Jaime**_ _ **were out riding near**_ _ **Casterly Rock**_ _ **and found a young common girl in distress from bandits. While Jaime chased the bandits off, Tyrion comforted the girl, whose name was**_ _ **Tysha**_ _ **. They ended up getting drunk at a local inn, and she became so enamored of him that Tyrion felt like he wasn't an ugly dwarf. Later that night she had sex with Tyrion, the first time he was ever with a woman. Tyrion fell madly in love, and bribed a drunken septon to marry them in secret.**_

Tyrion pursed his lips. "I'm..sorry about that Tyrion" Jaime said quietly but was shrugged off with a wave.

 _ **However, two weeks later his father, Tywin, found out, and was utterly furious that his son had married a commoner. Tywin forced Jaime to reveal the truth: the girl was a**_ _ **prostitute**_ _ **. Jaime set the situation up to do something nice for his little brother. Tywin then instructed his guards to have sex with her, with her being paid a silver coin for each man, while Tyrion was forced to watch.**_

"That's just..disgusting" Sansa sneered. "That's just my father's way of saying he loves me" Tyrion said sarcastically. Ned looked from the imp to the lord Lannister and his face took on a disgusted mask, something never much seen on the Lord's face.

 _ **Shae points out that Tyrion was foolish to believe a woman would sleep with him just hours after almost being raped. As she gets romantic with Tyrion, Bronn leaves the tent. The next morning the Lannister army finds that the Starks have stolen a march on them; they are about to be attacked and have to hastily prepare for battle. Tyrion gives a rousing speech to his hill tribesmen, but as they charge for the front he is first nearly trampled and then knocked out by an accidental blow to the head from someone's club. When he regains consciousness on the back of a wagon, Bronn tells him that the Lannisters won the battle, but it was a feint. As a diversion, Robb sent a small portion of his army to confront and delay Tywin's forces, while the main army marched on**_ _ **Riverrun**_ _ **to attack Jaime's army.**_

"That is a good plan" Ned said with pride in his voice. Something which everyone noticed and made Robb very happy.

 _ **Catelyn and Ser**_ _ **Rodrik Cassel**_ _ **are waiting in woodlands as they hear sounds of battle. Suddenly Robb returns from his victory with his guards and a prisoner: Ser Jaime himself.**_

"It was smart not to kill him on the spot. A good bargaining chip. Much better than lord Tyrion as we see now" Jeor said gruffly. Tywin looked at the screen with well hidden anger. "It must be where" he thought and spared a look at Jaime's golden hand.

 _ **The**_ _ **Battle of the Whispering Wood**_ _ **has lifted the siege of Riverrun, and Jaime's army has been destroyed. Jaime suggests they end the war now with a bout of single combat between himself and Robb, but Robb refuses and has him imprisoned. Robb laments that his diversion sent 2,000 men to their deaths. He gives a speech to his army and tells them that they have won a great victory, but the war is far from over.**_

Ned looked at the screen with evident pride at hearing his son's speech.

 _ **At**_ _ **Castle Black**_ _ **, Lord Commander**_ _ **Jeor Mormont**_ _ **gives Jon Snow a**_ _ **Valyrian**_ _ **steel sword,**_ _ **Longclaw**_ _ **, in thanks for saving his life.**_

"So that's how you got my blade" Jeor said and Jon nodded. "I hope it has served you as well has it has served me" he said with a smile which Jon returned. "Aye, saved my life many times" he said.

 _ **Mormont also reinstates Jon to his former position and tells him he has dispatched Ser**_ _ **Alliser Thorne**_ _ **to**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **to lay the hand of the**_ _ **wight**_ _ **they found at the feet of the King and ask for aid. Mormont explains to Jon that Longclaw was meant for his own son, Ser**_ _ **Jorah Mormont**_ _ **, but he disgraced himself and fled in exile to**_ _ **Essos**_ _ **.**_

Jorah looked down at the ground in shame.

 _ **Jon goes to the dining hall and the other recruits make a fuss over the sword, but**_ _ **Samwell Tarly**_ _ **seems distant from the revelry. Sam takes Jon aside and informs him about Robb leading an army south to war. Jon ponders that he should be with him, but Maester**_ _ **Aemon**_ _ **tells him their duty to the**_ _ **Night's Watch**_ _ **comes first. To Jon's surprise, Aemon reveals that his full name is Aemon Targaryen, the son of a king, brother to another, the uncle of the**_ _ **Mad King**_ _ **. Aemon had to stand aside and do nothing while his entire family was butchered or exiled during**_ _ **Robert's Rebellion**_ _ **. It is not an easy life they have chosen. Aemon remarks that he cannot make Jon stay or go, like the Maester, Jon must make the choice himself and live with the consequences of it for the rest of his life.**_

"And that I did" Jon thought to himself, clutching the hilt of his sword. Lyanna who had been watching Jon after the sword talk gave him a concerned look. "He'll be fine" Rhaegar whispered making Lyanna jump slightly. "He is our son after all" he said with a smile when Lyanna turned to meet his eyes.

 _ **Far to the east,**_ _ **Daenerys Targaryen**_ _ **is concerned that the wound her husband Khal**_ _ **Drogo**_ _ **took fighting**_ _ **Mago**_ _ **has festered and become infected. He falls from his horse, a grave sign of weakness amongst the**_ _ **Dothraki**_ _ **. Daenerys tells the khalasar that they are stopping and orders**_ _ **Qotho**_ _ **to get**_ _ **Mirri Maz Duur**_ _ **to help Drogo.**_ _ **Qotho**_ _ **is unhappy with entrusting Drogo's care to the woman, whom he calls a**_ _ **maegi**_ _ **or witch, but relents. At Daenerys' request, Ser Jorah armors himself. Jorah also advises her to leave now, because Drogo is certain to die and when he dies, his lieutenants will fight amongst themselves to be his successor; whoever wins will kill Daenerys's son, rather than risk the boy growing up to be a rival, but Daenerys refuses to abandon her husband. Mirri Maz Duur promises to save Drogo's life, but she needs to sacrifice a life in exchange. She takes**_ _ **Drogo's horse**_ _ **into his tent and starts the ceremony, slitting the animal's throat over Drogo's comatose form. As the crowd stands outside, loud growls are heard as a supernatural ritual begins.**_

"That does not look good" Robert rumbled. "It was not" Dany replied, a hand on her belly.

 _ **Some of Drogo's warriors become enraged at what they see as Daenerys' attempts to interfere with the natural way of things and Qotho tries to attack her, but Ser Jorah kills him. Daenerys starts to go into labor, but none of the Dothraki midwives will help her, thinking she is cursed. With no choice, Jorah takes Daenerys into the tent as the ceremony continues.**_ _ **Varys**_ _ **visits**_ _ **Eddard Stark**_ _ **in the dungeons under the**_ _ **Red Keep**_ _ **. Varys tells Eddard that**_ _ **Sansa**_ _ **begged for his life before the whole court and that**_ _ **Robb**_ _ **is leading an army from**_ _ **the North**_ _ **. In addition, the Queen is more concerned over the intentions of**_ _ **King Robert**_ _ **'s brother,**_ _ **Stannis**_ _ **, a proven battle commander known to be without mercy. For the sake of Sansa's life, Varys urges Eddard to confess to treason. In return,**_ _ **Cersei**_ _ **will let him take the black and join his younger brother**_ _ **Benjen**_ _ **and**_ _ **bastard**_ _ **son**_ _ **Jon Snow**_ _ **on**_ _ **the Wall**_ _ **. Eddard is angered by the suggestion that he would trade in his honesty and honor for his life, though he appears to have second thoughts when Varys insinuates that Sansa would pay the price for his defiance.**_

"The spider knows exactly what to say to get people to reconsider their own words" Stannis muttered. "That's what makes him a good master of spies. He can turn an enemy into an ally" Rhaegar said in agreement.

 _ **Arya Stark**_ _ **is living rough on the streets of the city. She catches a pigeon and tries to trade it for a slice of bread, to no avail.**_

Catelyn whimpered silently, clutching the hand of her husband at seeing the state her youngest daughter was in.

 _ **She sees crowds moving through the streets and is told that the**_ _ **Hand of the King**_ _ **is being brought before the**_ _ **Great Sept of Baelor**_ _ **, the center of religious worship in the city. Stunned that she will see her father she drops the pigeon and joins the crowd. Unable to see, she climbs unto the pedestal of a statue of Baelor. She sees her father being brought in chains to the steps of the temple.**_

Arya stiffened ever so slightly, the memory of her father's death going on repeat in her head. Even if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she knew exactly how it had happened.

 _ **He sees Arya on the statue, and as he is dragged through the crowd he passes**_ _ **Yoren**_ _ **of the Night's Watch. Lord Eddard looks at the statue and says, "Baelor," puzzling the crowd. Yoren understands, however, and moves toward the statue where Arya is watching.**_

Arya's lips twitched slightly. She would never admit it again, but she thoroughly missed her father, the smile he would give her when she did something unlady like and the defeated sigh he gave when he lost an argument and relented to her wishes. She even missed his lectures.

 _ **Eddard is given a chance to confess his "crimes." He weighs his choices as he sees both Arya and Sansa present, and chooses to save them by making a false confession. He says that**_ _ **Joffrey**_ _ **is the true King on the**_ _ **Iron Throne**_ _ **, pleasing him. Grand Maester**_ _ **Pycelle**_ _ **extols the virtues of mercy and Joffrey agrees that he could be merciful and send Eddard to the Night's Watch as his mother has suggested and as Sansa has begged.**_

Catelyn and Robb smiled at that small victory, not really noticing the grim faces of Jon, Arya and Bran and the loathing looks on Sansa's face.

 _ **He instead acknowledges that as women they are "soft" and treason must never go unpunished. He commands Ser**_ _ **Ilyn Payne**_ _ **to bring him the traitor's head.**_

Whatever happiness she had felt, quickly evaporated into nothing. She along with her son, her sister in law, the king and lord commander watched in horror as the sentence was passed.

 _ **The crowd goes into an uproar. Arya tries to make her way through the crowd drawing her**_ _ **sword**_ _ **to save her father, but Yoren grabs and stops her, shielding her from seeing her father's death. Sansa screams and is restrained by guards as she faints. A visibly horrified Cersei frantically tries to persuade her son to reconsider, as does Varys, but there is no time. Forced to kneel, Eddard looks at the statue and sees that Arya has been rescued by Yoren, and is relieved in his eyes that she is safe. Ser Ilyn draws Eddard's own sword,**_ _ **Ice**_ _ **, and cuts his head off with a single blow. A flock of pigeons takes flight immediately afterwards, the sight being all Arya needs to know her father is dead.**_

"No!" Catelyn wailed and fell into unconsciousness.


	11. 1-10

"Catelyn!" Ned yelled and held his passed out wife in his arms. Arya was the first to move after the yell. She went to her mother's side and checked her over, something she learned through her many experiences. "She passed out. She will be fine" she said monotonously and stood up to go back to her place when Ned grabbed her arm. "What happened to you?" he said, the words rolling out of his mouth in a rush. The others had gathered around them, only the Starks were close enough to Catelyn trying to wake her again. Arya looked to her unconscious mother than to her father, her eyes glazing over slightly before they hardened back again. "It will be shown father" she said and moved away, her arm sliding out of her father's grip. Ned looked as her daughter walked away. He had seen the hardened eyes she had and he had seen eyes like those only on warriors who had killed and were trained to kill. To see them on his daughter had shaken him to his core.

After Catelyn had regained her consciousness, Ned had to hold her and comfort her. Tell her that this won't happen again. It took them a while but finally she had calmed down. They all returned to their seats and the next memory began.

 _ **At the**_ _ **Great Sept of Baelor**_ _ **,**_ _ **Eddard Stark**_ _ **has been executed by beheading. The great sword**_ _ **Ice**_ _ **is covered in blood, and**_ _ **Sandor Clegane**_ _ **standing next to Ser**_ _ **Ilyn Payne**_ _ **, the royal executioner, holds Lord Eddard's head up to the adulation of the baying crowd.**_

Catelyn growled under her breath. "Bastards! All of them! They will know true pain once we are done here" she thought to herself, her eyes burning with anger.

 _ **Sansa Stark**_ _ **has fainted. In the crowd,**_ _ **Yoren**_ _ **drags**_ _ **Arya**_ _ **away, making a point of calling her "Boy". Once he gets her out of the courtyard, he cuts her hair off with a knife. He tells her that he will get her out of King's Landing and to Winterfell as a recruit of the Night's Watch, but he warns her not to trust the other recruits, since apparently half would hand her over to Cersei for a pardon, while the other half would do the same, but only after raping her first.**_

Catelyn and Sansa both shuddered at the thought. Catelyn from disgust and fear from what those men could do to her daughter. Sansa because she knew personally what that would feel like, how it would eat her from the inside.

 _ **Joffrey**_ _ **is holding court and a singer is brought before him, charged with making up an amusing but offensive song about**_ _ **Robert**_ _ **and**_ _ **Cersei**_ _ **. The song says that the boar might have killed King Robert, but the lion in his bed had previously castrated him. The singer turns out to be**_ _ **Marillion**_ _ **, who Catelyn and Ser**_ _ **Rodrik**_ _ **met at the**_ _ **Inn at the Crossroads**_ _ **, and who accompanied them and**_ _ **Tyrion**_ _ **to**_ _ **the Vale of Arryn**_ _ **. Joffrey asks Marillion if he wants to keep his hands or tongue. Marillion fearfully responds that everyone needs hands. Joffrey commands Ilyn Payne to cut out his tongue instead.**_

Catelyn sneered at disgust at the bastard's action. He was no king and had no qualities that would make a king in the first place.

 _ **Joffrey then takes Sansa up to the walls to see her father's head mounted on a spike and makes her look at it. He cruelly mocks her, promising he will give her Robb's head next.**_

"That boy will be the first to die. And I will make sure the whore watches it" Robert growled. Usually it was something Ned would be against. But only for the bastard, he would abide by what the king had in mind for the 'prince'.

 _ **Sansa quietly retorts that Robb might give her Joffrey's instead. Infuriated, Joffrey orders Ser**_ _ **Meryn Trant**_ _ **to beat her, as Cersei has told him that a king should not hit his queen.**_

Ned growled under his breath, something that caught everyone by surprise. He was a level headed man who never showed any outwards signs of irritation as prominently as he did now. Robert's mind flashed back to another time he had heard Ned do that. It was back when his sister was taken, or rather ran off. Tywin looked at the lord of house Stark and sighed internally. He had lost all love for the grandson who turns out was born from a forbidden relationship of his children. He wouldn't move one finger when his fate would call him. He was unsure whether the same would go for the other two grandchildren of his or his daughter on who his dislike was growing slowly.

 _ **Sansa moves up behind Joffrey, apparently preparing to shove him off the walkway to his death, but unexpectedly**_ _ **Sandor Clegane**_ _ **dabs the blood off her lip with a handkerchief and after Joffrey leaves, tells her to give him what he wants.**_

"He looked out for me when I was up there" Sansa said softly seeing the surprised stares from most of the others. They had all thought that the hound was probably the same kind of beast his brother was, maybe not in size but in nature. It seems they had misjudged him.

 _ **Cersei Lannister**_ _ **has taken a new lover, her cousin**_ _ **Lancel**_ _ **who was King Robert's squire.**_

Jaime blinked in surprise. He had heard rumors of this back in the capital a long time back but Cersei had told him it was all a lie spread to defame her and attack house Lannister. Now seeing it for himself, he felt sick. I seemed to him that he was nothing but a means of pleasure for Cersei, even though he had dedicated so much to her. He clenched his fists, if he had known this back then.

" _Hmmm that does sound better"_ a voice rang out through the room and Jaime disappeared only to be replaced by Jaime, except he was not the future Jaime. "I was on the king's road just now how…" he said and before anyone could say anything, he went stiff and his eyes rolled back for just a moment before they went back to normal. "He filled me in" Jaime said when Tyrion poked his side. "I was shown in a few moments what the other me had seen till now" he explained when he looked at the questioning glances of the others. The rest just nodded their heads and resumed the watch.

 _ **She also receives a letter informing her of Jaime's capture. Lancel is naked in Cersei's bedroom. The thought of being at war is exciting to him, as he has just been made a new young knight. He asks for the news of the war and asks what their next move is, but Cersei tells him to shut up and get back in bed.**_

"Typical" Jaime thought in disgust. Tywin looked at the screen with his own varying levels of disgust. He had decided, his daughter will get the same treatment as his eldest grandchild for sullying the Lannister name.

 _ **Grand Maester**_ _ **Pycelle**_ _ **takes the**_ _ **prostitute**_ __ _ **Ros**_ _ **to bed, boasting of the several great kings he has served, lamenting first how**_ _ **Aerys Targaryen**_ _ **devolved from a charming young man into a paranoid lunatic obsessed with fire, how**_ _ **Robert Baratheon**_ _ **was a great soldier, but perhaps not so ideal a king, before displaying his sycophantic loyalty to Joffrey. After Ros leaves, Pycelle stands and limbers up, revealing that he is not as frail in mind and body as he lets on. He resumes his act after he dresses and leaves his chamber.**_

"That man" Robert snorts in disgust. Guess he was another man he needed to deal with.

 _ **Yoren has assembled a band of new recruits for the Night's Watch. Pretending that Arya is a boy called "Arry", he has her join the group. Also in the group are**_ _ **Hot Pie**_ _ **,**_ _ **Lommy Greenhands**_ _ **, and**_ _ **Gendry**_ _ **, who unknown to him, is King Robert's bastard son. He had been working for**_ _ **Tobho Mott**_ _ **, but with Robert dead, the secret funds being sent to Mott stopped, so he fired Gendry and told him he had to join the Night's Watch.**_

"That's just sad" Sansa muttered. "Alas that's how things work" Ned muttered sullenly.

 _ **Hot Pie and Lommy try to bully Arya into giving up**_ _ **Needle**_ _ **, but she angrily draws the sword, warning that she "has already killed**_ _ **one fat boy**_ _ **" and will happily do it again. Gendry breaks up the argument by taking Arya's side, threatening the boys with violence to keep them from picking on Arya later. Yoren now has to get them all to the Wall, a thousand leagues away, through the war-torn**_ _ **Riverlands**_ _ **. They set out.**_

"Sounds very simple" Tyrion said sarcastically.

 _ **At**_ _ **Winterfell**_ _ **,**_ _ **Bran**_ _ **has another dream of the**_ _ **Three-Eyed Raven**_ _ **. He wakes up and tells**_ _ **Osha**_ _ **about how the dream always ends with the bird flying into the crypts under the castle, and he tells her he thinks his father is in the tombs. Osha takes Bran down there, and Bran tells her about the histories of some of the ancestors entombed there. They are then surprised by**_ _ **Shaggydog**_ _ **,**_ _ **Rickon**_ _ **'s**_ _ **direwolf**_ _ **, who leaps out at them from the empty future tomb of Eddard Stark. Rickon calls Shaggydog off, then reveals to Bran that he had the same dream. Making their way out, Osha is still trying to tell Bran that it could be a coincidence, but outside they see**_ _ **Maester**_ __ _ **Luwin**_ _ **, who holds a letter and looks at them with such sadness that it is obviously the news of Eddard's death.**_

Bran sighed internally. He still remembered that day like it was just yesterday. Rickon had become so quiet, he wouldn't talk to anyone or eat properly and continuously called out for their mother. He blinked when something occurred to him. Why was he feeling this sadness? He had ever since he became the three eyed raven not felt a thing. "Maybe because my dead family are here" he thought to himself.

 _ **At the**_ _ **House Stark**_ _ **camp,**_ _ **Catelyn**_ _ **stoically walks through the encampment and receives the condolences and respect of the northern bannermen, who bow to her as she passes. She makes her way into the woods around the camp. Once she is out of everyone's sight, she breaks down, practically hyperventilating with grief.**_

Ned sighed sadly and wrapped an arm around his wife and pulled her closer to him. Catelyn who was still grieving buried herself into his side.

 _ **Hearing something from deeper in the woods, she finds**_ _ **Robb**_ _ **hacking his sword at a tree in anger and grief. Lady Catelyn calls to him and tells him he is ruining his sword. Robb drops the sword and falls into her arms, vowing to kill the Lannisters who murdered his father. Catelyn comforts him and promises him revenge, but only after they rescue Sansa and Arya first.**_

Jon sighed sadly. If only that had happened, he would still have his brother with him, Sansa wouldn't have to go through what she did and Arya wouldn't have changed this drastically.

 _ **At Robb's camp, Robb and his bannermen debate whether to cooperate with**_ _ **Stannis**_ _ **or**_ _ **Renly Baratheon**_ _ **in the war against King Joffrey; Renly has greater forces, but Stannis is the elder**_ _ **Baratheon**_ _ **and next in line of succession excepting Cersei's children.**_ _ **Jon Umber**_ _ **questions why the northerners should be told what to do by rulers in the south at all, reminding them that the North was independent of the other Kingdoms before the Targaryens threatened them with their dragons. With the dragons gone, Umber declares there is only one king worthy of his respect and allegiance and bows before Robb, calling out, "The**_ _ **King in the North**_ _ **!" The other northern bannermen take up the cry and bow before the new King in the North, swearing fealty to Robb.**_

Ned, Robb and Catelyn all blinked at that. It had been ages since the north had an independent king. Ned and Catelyn looked at each other then turned their eyes to Robb. It was a proud moment for them but both of them knew how much more danger Robb was put into.

 _ **Catelyn visits the captive**_ _ **Jaime Lannister**_ _ **who taunts her about Ned's death and offers to serve her as a lover. She hits him in the head with a rock. Jaime says that if she keeps hitting him, she can kill him and that he doesn't fear death, though Jaime probably realizes that the Starks won't kill him as long as his sister holds Sansa and Arya hostage. Catelyn tells him he has violated the laws of man and gods, and he asks where Ned's gods were when his head was cut off. She says there is injustice in the world because of men like him to which Jaime responds, "There are no men like me, only me". He admits to pushing Bran from the tower, but doesn't reveal why.**_

Jaime put his head down in shame. He couldn't believe he was stooping down to such low levels right then. But he could believe it. Cersei's hold on him was so strong by then that he could believe that he would do something like that. He gritted his teeth in frustration.

 _ **At the**_ _ **Lannister**_ _ **camp, Lord**_ _ **Tywin**_ _ **is holding a strategy meeting with his generals, and is furious that Jaime has been captured by the Starks. Both Stannis and Renly have claimed the**_ _ **Iron Throne**_ _ **, meaning the Lannisters are now fighting a three-front war against the Starks to the north and the competing Baratheon forces to the south. Tywin's brother**_ _ **Kevan**_ _ **and other commanders debate whether to attack, fall back and raise reinforcement armies, or sue for peace. Tyrion points out that any chance of negotiating with Robb Stark died when his father Eddard was executed. The Lannister army is now exposed, so Tywin decides to retreat to**_ _ **Harrenhal**_ _ **, the great castle on the northern shores of**_ _ **Gods Eye**_ _ **, and use it as a base of operations. Reluctantly impressed by Tyrion's astute judgment of the situation, Tywin orders his son to go to King's Landing and serve as Acting**_ _ **Hand of the King**_ _ **in Tywin's stead.**_

Tywin blinked in surprise at his future self's actions. But then again, he knew he had made a good call. The boy might be a dwarf and disfigured, but he was one of the smartest men he had ever met. Him as a hand of the king would be a good choice.

 _ **He is to control Cersei and Joffrey and prevent the young king from making more idiotic mistakes, and kill**_ _ **Baelish**_ _ **,**_ _ **Varys**_ _ **, and**_ _ **Pycelle**_ _ **if he sees treachery. Tywin also orders Tyrion to leave**_ _ **his whore**_ _ **behind. Later on in his tent, Tyrion complains about his father to**_ _ **Shae**_ _ **, then decides to defy Tywin and take Shae to court anyway.**_ _ **Jon Snow**_ _ **learns of his father's death. He saddles a horse and prepares to leave to join Robb's army, ignoring**_ _ **Samwell**_ _ **'s pleas to stay and fulfill his oaths. Jon leaves**_ _ **Castle Black**_ _ **, but is pursued. One of his pursuers hits a tree branch and is unhorsed, and Jon realizes it was Sam. He turns back to help him. The other riders are**_ _ **Grenn**_ _ **and**_ _ **Pypar**_ _ **. He tells them to go back or they will get in trouble too, but they say they can't go back without him. They surround him and recite their oath to the**_ _ **Night's Watch**_ _ **, and Jon realizes that they are right. Leaving would make him a deserter and an oathbreaker, something his father would never countenance if he were alive, and Jon doesn't even know if Robb would accept his help or turn him over to the authorities. He agrees to return to the Wall with them.**_

"It was the right choice" Ned said. "Always honor your vows" he added and Jon nodded. Jon looked at his hands and smiled sadly, he had missed these talks with his father.

 _ **Lord Commander**_ _ **Jeor Mormont**_ _ **decides to overlook Jon's brief desertion, saying many have fled the Wall, only to think better of it and return. If they executed everyone who did that, they'd have no men left. Mormont tells Jon that the war between the Lannisters and Starks is less important than what they face now, a renewed threat from the**_ _ **wildlings**_ _ **,**_ _ **White Walkers**_ _ **, and**_ _ **wights**_ _ **. Mormont means to lead the Night's Watch in force into the**_ _ **Haunted Forest**_ _ **to learn more of their foe, to prepare to battle against them, and to find the missing**_ _ **Benjen Stark**_ _ **. Jon agrees to commit himself fully to the Night's Watch and all that lies ahead.**_

Jeor nodded proudly. He had chosen a worthy successor.

 _ **In the wastelands beyond**_ _ **Lhazar**_ _ **, Daenerys wakes up to terrible news from Ser**_ _ **Jorah Mormont**_ _ **. Her son,**_ _ **Rhaego**_ _ **, is dead. He was born dead and deformed, covered with scales. The majority of the**_ _ **khalasar**_ _ **have also moved on, leaving them behind. However,**_ _ **Drogo**_ _ **lives. Daenerys insists on seeing her husband, and finds him in a catatonic state. Daenerys demands to know why, and**_ _ **Mirri Maz Duur**_ _ **explains that when Daenerys "saved" her, she had already been raped three times and the temple she served had been burned and defiled by the Dothraki. They had sacked her village, looted all they owned, and those not killed were enslaved. She has now gotten her revenge, not only on Drogo, but on Daenerys' child Rhaego; now her "**_ _ **Stallion Who Mounts the World**_ _ **" can burn no cities and slaughter no innocents. Duur agrees that Daenerys saved her life, but she says to ask Drogo what life is worth when all else is gone.**_

Dany clenches her fists in anger. She had never forgotten what had happened to her and her unborn child. She may have made the witch pay but she still had that anger in her. She snapped out of her internal raging when she felt a hand on hers. She looked up to see that Jon was looking at her with a soft smile and was holding her hand, which had uncurled and then curled around his hand. The man might not be a significant other to her, but he is a good friend.

 _ **It is night, and Daenerys is in their tent tending to Drogo. She baths him, talks to him, even tries to seduce him, but nothing she does reaches him. She realizes he is no longer there, and seeing him in his vegetative state breaks her heart. Crying, Daenerys kisses him goodbye, then smothers him with a pillow.**_

Rhaegar looked on sadly at the scene. He could not imagine the kind of pain Dany had gone through right there, losing her son and then her husband as well.

 _ **Daenerys and her small retinue prepare a funeral pyre for Drogo. She makes a speech to the few who are left saying that if they wish to go they may, but if they stay with her she will lead them into a glorious future. She frees those of them who are slaves and asks that they stay as equals. The**_ _ **maegi**_ _ **smirks as some people begin walking away. At Daenerys' command,**_ _ **Rakharo**_ _ **places the**_ _ **dragon eggs**_ _ **on the pyre, and**_ _ **Mirri Maz Duur**_ _ **is tied to a stake next to the pyre as well. She tells Daenerys that she will not scream while she is burned alive. Daenerys replies that she only wants the maegi's life. Ser Jorah believes that Daenerys intends to kill herself and pleads for her to reconsider, as they can sell the eggs and travel far away. Ignoring Jorah's pleas, she kisses his cheek, and sets the pyre alight. Mirri Maz Duur does indeed scream as she burns, and Daenerys calmly walks into the flames. She stands below the pyre as flames appear to consume her.**_

"She would be fine. She has the gift of the dragons. Fire would never harm her" Rhaegar told himself. But even he doubted whether she could actually survive a flame as great as this. But then it occurred to him that she was here. Meaning she did survive. But then another thought occurred to him, what had happened to the dragon eggs? Did they burn to ashes or did they stay the same? And then a bunch of words played in his head. "Where are my dragons!?" he had heard someone scream.

 _ **At dawn, the fire dies down. Jorah and the rest of the khalasar awake to find Daenerys sitting among the still smoldering embers, with three newly-hatched baby dragons crawling over her. Her clothes have burnt away and her body is covered in ash, but she is completely unharmed.**_ _ **One dragon**_ _ **nuzzles in her arm,**_ _ **another**_ _ **climbs her leg, and**_ _ **the third**_ _ **pulls itself up to sit on her shoulder. At the sight of the mythical animals born anew, an amazed Jorah and the few remaining Dothraki kneel and swear their allegiance to the Mother of Dragons. After she slowly stands up from the ashes, the black hatchling on her shoulder rises, spreads its wings and screams, announcing the return of dragons to the world.**_

"Dragons" Rhaegar said in awe and stood up. For centuries there has never been a single dragon in their family and many have tried to bring them back. Centuries later his sister had done something that no one had ever done before, she had brought three healthy dragons into this world.


	12. AN

Hey guys! Hope you all are doing well! I love the amount of love you are showing my stories even though they are a lot shittier than you guys make it seem XD

Anyways to my other point. My classes started up again. I'm in the Sports club now!(shocker I know). So there are club duties that need my attention. Also my programming courses are taking a lot of my time (I study computer science engineering). My other courses are no less of a time eater too. I also started making Youtube vids! (they are shitty and I cringe at myself a lot ._.)

All in all, I have a hectic schedule going on right now and would love nothing more than to update my stories! But you know the painful life of students (Over exaggeration there XD). So I will update the stories at odd times with no fixed updating date as my free time really depends on how less of a drag my assignments are.

Hopefully I could pass on my words to you in an understandable manner. Please continue to read my stories and love them as you guys always do. You all literally bring tears of joy in my eyes with every positive comment you guys leave :')


	13. 2-1

The screen had gone as white as snow as the last feed ended. The people present in the room sat in astonished silence having just witnessed the birth of what they believed to be creatures of the old. "Dragon's fly again" Rhaegar said in stunned awe. He could not believe his baby sister would be able to do something that their mad father and those before him have tried so hard to do and fail in horrible ways. Ned and Robert looked at each other and shared meaningful glances yet were on opposite sides of the spectrum. Ned still believed killing Daenerys would be the dishonorable thing to do while Robert just wanted her dead. But both were sure on one thing, Cersei and her eldest mad bastard needed to be dealt with swiftly. Jaime stood in silence, still going through the memories of the future version of himself had collected in this very room. Tywin was silently fuming at the work of his foolish daughter and her bastard son, neither was getting his support for they had tarnished the Lannister name. Jaime he was not sure what he would do to him yet. Mance and Jeor were conversing heavily on how the threat beyond the wall was not the free folks and how the free folks could be useful to the men of the wall once they were allowed safe passage before they joined the growing army of the night king. The people from the future though did not say much or have much to discuss since this was still in their past.

Before they could settle down, Sky appeared in a flash of bright light and stood in front of them with a hard look on his face but his eyes had a playful twinkle in them. _"So you have seen the first year of the starting of this disaster"_ he said in a deep voice as the rest nodded. _"Now I would be sending a few of you back and when I do, you know what to do. But be warned, do not interfere with the birth of the dragon for that would bring your demise far swifter than you can ever imagine"_ he said the last few lines looking straight at Robert who seemed to not like the instructions but nodded in understanding, as did the others from the past. Sky nodded and clicked his fingers as Robert Baratheon disappeared from the room, _"He is not needed for this next part. Ned you might be dead but you still have ways you can be of help. And Rhaegar and Lyanna..you are here to know what it is your families do and how big of a player they are for the future, even though knowing would do no good for you two since you are dead"_ he said. Most just nodded thinking that he was talking about the Stark children and Danaerys, but Ned, Catelyn, Lyanna and Rhaegar knew there was one exception to all this, Jon Snow. Sky disappeared and the screen behind him turned pitch black before a new scene opened up.

 _ **Lord Commander**_ __ _ **Jeor Mormont**_ _ **'s rangers arrive at**_ _ **Craster's Keep**_ _ **having passed several abandoned**_ _ **wildling**_ _ **villages.**_ _ **Jon Snow**_ _ **,**_ _ **Grenn**_ _ **,**_ _ **Dolorous Edd**_ _ **and,**_ _ **Samwell Tarly**_ _ **are repulsed by**_ _ **Craster**_ _ **, who has many wives, most of whom are also his own daughters, but who seemingly has no sons.**_

"Disgusting" Catelyn said with pure venom in her voice. She did not lie this Crasterfor defiling the purity of relations. "That he is my lady. But he provides us with much help beyond the wall, so we look the other way" Jeor grumbled. Catelyn nodded her head in understanding but she did not like it one bit.

 _ **Craster tells Jeor that he has not seen the missing**_ _ **Benjen Stark**_ _ **and reports that the other wildlings are assembling for the**_ _ **King-Beyond-the-Wall**_ __ _ **Mance Rayder**_ _ **. Jon challenges their host, who is low and crude, but is demanding and demeaning when he is talking to the noble Commander Mormont. When Craster refers to them as southerners, Jon argues with him. Jeor reprimands Jon, noting that Craster may be disgusting, but the Night's Watch needs him. His information and shelter in the harsh conditions north of the Wall have helped them many times before. Mormont asks Jon if someday he wants to lead and tells him that first he needs to "learn how to follow."**_

"Words that have helped me out in many situations" Jon said with a smile. Jeor looked at Jon and assessed the man. He was worn, probably seen a lot of battles, not as much as him or his lord father but has his own share of stories. Jeor returned the smile with a nod and a small smile, a courtesy smile but a smile nonetheless.

 _ **King**_ _ **Joffrey Baratheon**_ _ **holds a tournament to celebrate his**_ _ **nameday**_ _ **on the walls of the**_ _ **Red Keep**_ _ **. He is irritated by Ser**_ _ **Dontos Hollard**_ _ **, who arrives both late and intoxicated for his bout. Joffrey orders his guards to pour an entire barrel of wine down Dontos' throat with a funnel.**_

Sansa growled under her breath. Even after his demise, he was still high on her hate list. Not as high as Ramsey but still up there.

 _ **Sansa Stark**_ _ **intercedes telling Joffrey that ordering a death on one's name day is bad luck. Joffrey dismisses this as a mindless superstition, but**_ _ **Sandor Clegane**_ _ **seconds her. Sansa convinces Joffrey to instead make Dontos his**_ _ **court fool**_ _ **, for which Dontos is grateful.**_ _ **Tyrion Lannister**_ _ **arrives back in**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **, to Joffrey's disdain, but to the delight of**_ _ **Tommen**_ _ **and**_ _ **Myrcella**_ _ **who had worried that he was dead.**_

"So the bastard king doesn't want his imp uncle around? How rude" Tyrion said with a smirk, taking a sip of his wine.

 _ **The**_ _ **small council**_ _ **are in session to discuss**_ _ **the Conclave**_ _ **'s announcement that the long summer has ended. Cersei orders the city gates closed to refugees from the**_ _ **war in the Riverlands**_ _ **. When Tyrion arrives with a letter from Lord Tywin, appointing him as acting**_ _ **Hand of the King**_ _ **in Tywin's stead, Cersei becomes livid. She is suspicious that Tyrion is taking power for himself, but he convinces her that he is there to act as an advisor. He criticizes his sister for failing to rein in Joffrey and overseeing numerous bad decisions, particularly the**_ _ **execution**_ _ **of**_ _ **Ned Stark**_ _ **. Their actions have sparked a war, which, he adds, their side is currently losing. He is even more incredulous when he learns that**_ _ **Arya Stark**_ _ **escaped, pointing out how much stronger their position could have been with three Stark**_ _ **hostages**_ _ **. Tyrion hides his lover**_ _ **Shae**_ _ **in his chambers in the**_ _ **Tower of the Hand**_ _ **because he was forbidden by his father to bring her with him. She is initially thrilled at being brought to the capital, and says that big cities make her "want to fuck".**_

Tyrion rolled his eyes disdainfully, inhaling a chalice of wine in one go.

 _ **Cersei tasks**_ _ **Petyr Baelish**_ _ **with finding Arya. She needles Petyr about his unrequited love for Catelyn and he counters by referencing her relationship with Jaime, telling her that knowledge is power. She responds by threatening his life in a demonstration of her control over her guards, ordering them to first seize Baelish and cut his throat and almost immediately rescinding the order. She warns him that power is power.**_

"Should have killed that bastard off right there she should have. And save us all the pain he later caused" Jon growled lowly, Daenerys patting his hand to try calm him down. Catelyn sat in her seat, ondering what Petyr could have done to her family, having heard Jon's growling rant.

 _ **Joffrey redecorates his throne room, hoping to restore the intimidating grandeur it held under the**_ _ **Targaryens**_ _ **. He refuses his mother's suggestion that they ask**_ _ **Tywin Lannister**_ _ **for aid in the search for Arya because he does not feel it is necessary to find her and does not feel it is fitting for a king to ask for help.**_

"Arrogant fool" Jeor barks out earning nods from all of the people present.

 _ **He blames Tywin for their losses in the war and the capture of Jaime.**_

Tywin's eyes hardened as he looked at his bastard of a grandson.

 _ **Having heard rumors about his parentage, he confronts his mother. She dismisses it as gossip spread by his enemies. He questions her about**_ _ **his father**_ _ **'s**_ _ **bastard**_ _ **children and insults her by saying that Robert had grown tired of her. She slaps him, and he warns her never to hit him again under threat of death.**_

"That is no way to talk to his mother" Catelyn fumed. "I think we have already come to the conclusion that this Joffrey bastard is an arrogant child who would burn the whole kingdom down if he stays in power for too long" Rhaegar said with steel in his eyes.

 _ **Lord**_ _ **Janos Slynt**_ _ **leads a city-wide**_ _ **massacre**_ _ **of Robert's bastards. The infant**_ _ **Barra**_ _ **is killed in Petyr's brothel in front of**_ _ **her mother**_ _ **and the**_ _ **prostitute**_ __ _ **Ros**_ _ **.**_ _ **Tobho Mott**_ _ **is interrogated and reveals that**_ _ **Gendry**_ _ **has left the city as a recruit of the Night's Watch. He says that Gendry can be identified by his bull's head helm. Gendry and Arya are travelling north on the**_ _ **Kingsroad**_ _ **with**_ _ **Yoren**_ _ **'s recruits. At**_ _ **Winterfell**_ _ **,**_ _ **Bran Stark**_ _ **suffers through the petty complaints of his vassals, facing unrest at**_ _ **Robb Stark**_ _ **calling his banners and taking the young men south.**_ _ **Maester**_ __ _ **Luwin**_ _ **guides him in carrying out a lord's duties.**_

Bran smiled ever so slightly, remembering the old maester and his teachings.

 _ **Bran dreams that he is his**_ _ **direwolf**_ __ _ **Summer**_ _ **walking in the**_ _ **Godswood**_ _ **, and when he looks in the pool, he sees Summer's reflection not his own which wakes him. He has**_ _ **Osha**_ _ **and**_ _ **Hodor**_ _ **take him to the pool and is reassured to find that his waking reflection is his own. They discuss the phenomenon of the**_ _ **Red Comet**_ _ **, as many people think it means different things. Osha tells him she believes it signifies the return of**_ _ **dragons**_ _ **to the world.**_

"So much legend the men beyond the walls know" Tyrion mused. "While you southeners put logic into your beliefs and clouded the old religion, we stuck with them. We all know about every legend ever told in the north from the beginning of time and have preserved them" Tormund grumbled out.

 _ **On the island of**_ _ **Dragonstone**_ _ **, King**_ _ **Stannis Baratheon**_ _ **allows his advisor**_ _ **Melisandre**_ _ **to burn statues of the gods of the**_ _ **Faith of the Seven**_ _ **as an offering to her deity the**_ _ **Lord of Light**_ _ **.**_

Stannis blinked in surprise at the actions of his future self.

 _ **Maester**_ _ **Cressen**_ _ **is outraged at the affront to his gods and fearful that Melisandre is leading Stannis into a war that he cannot win. Melisandre proclaims Stannis a champion of the Lord of Light, as he draws a**_ _ **burning sword**_ _ **from one of the statues. Cressen asks**_ _ **Davos Seaworth**_ _ **to help him intervene but Davos says that it is not the right time. Stannis has received**_ _ **Ned Stark**_ _ **'s letter, informing him that he was the true heir of King**_ _ **Robert Baratheon**_ _ **, so he will send copies of a letter announcing his claim to the throne of the**_ _ **Seven Kingdoms**_ _ **to Lords throughout the realm. He details the incestuous relationship between**_ _ **Cersei**_ _ **and**_ _ **Jaime Lannister**_ _ **and challenges Joffrey's legitimacy. He rejects Davos's appeal to consider an alliance with his brother**_ _ **Renly Baratheon**_ _ **, while Renly is claiming the throne for himself, despite Renly having widespread support, or even with Robb Stark, since while Robb does not seek the Iron Throne, he desires Northern independence, which Stannis sees as Robb "stealing the Northern half of his kingdom."**_

"Understandable why he would think that. That is what a king would see" Ned said to Rob when he saw his son ready to retort. He might be his eldest son and the next heir to Winterfell but he is still too young and does not have the right temperament to lead yet.

 _ **Cressen feigns an apology in an effort to trick Melisandre into sharing a cup of poisoned wine with him. Davos sees him drop the poison in the cup, and tries to stop him. He drinks first and hands the cup to her. Melisandre is aware of what Cressen is doing, but smiling she drinks anyway and is unaffected by the poison, and Cressen dies in vain.**_

"She is one crafty woman" Stannis said."That she is" Tyrion raised his chalice in agreement, knowing Melisandre personally.

 _ **Robb receives the letter and interrogates the captive Jaime about his reasons for crippling Bran. Jaime reveals nothing and attacks Robb's decision to keep him in his mobile camp rather than with one of his bannermen as demonstrating a lack of trust. Robb asserts his faith in his men and his concern at the lengths**_ _ **House Lannister**_ _ **would go to in order to free Jaime. His direwolf**_ _ **Grey Wind**_ _ **is almost fully grown and menaces Jaime during the questioning. Robb sends his prisoner**_ _ **Alton Lannister**_ _ **to King's Landing with peace terms. His demands include the release of his sisters, the return of his father's remains along with the remains of all those who served him, and the recognition of**_ _ **the North**_ _ **as a free and independent kingdom.**_ _ **Theon Greyjoy**_ _ **appeals to Robb to send him to**_ _ **Pyke**_ _ **to seek an alliance with his father**_ _ **Balon**_ _ **citing their need for a fleet in order to attack King's Landing.**_

"That would be a bad idea" Ned warned his eldest.

 _ **Catelyn counsels against putting trust in Balon because of his history of**_ _ **rebellion**_ _ **. She asks Robb to consider exchanging Jaime for his sisters. She then asks to return to her younger sons at Winterfell but Robb tasks her with seeking an alliance with Renly and sends Ser**_ _ **Rodrik Cassel**_ _ **instead to Winterfell.**_

"Listen to your mother. You cannot trust Balon Greyjoy" Ned warned again with a hard look on his face. Rob nodded his head in understanding, this was one thing he would not do and he felt like there were more things he should not do if he were to live long enough to take over from his father who he was determined to not be killed this time.

 _ **Daenerys Targaryen**_ _ **leads her diminished khalasar east into the**_ _ **Red Waste**_ _ **to avoid her rivals. She is surrounded by powerful enemies who Ser Jorah tells her will kill her and take her dragons. The deadly emptiness of the Red Waste is her only option. She struggles to make her**_ _ **dragons**_ _ **eat what little meat she has, and her people face starvation. Her beloved white mare, her first gift from**_ _ **Khal**_ __ _ **Drogo**_ _ **, dies prompting her to halt the march and send three of her**_ _ **bloodriders**_ _ **in three different directions to scout for sustenance and refuge.**_

"It was tough. But we survived and were stringer because of it" Danaerys said, answering the unasked question of her brother and her allies.


	14. 2-2

_**In**_ _ **the Riverlands**_ _ **,**_ _ **Arya Stark**_ _ **continues to pose as a boy while traveling north with**_ _ **Yoren**_ _ **and his**_ _ **Night's Watch**_ _ **recruits. She urinates privately to conceal that she is a girl. Arya is drawn to the caged prisoners containing**_ _ **Jaqen H'ghar**_ _ **,**_ _ **Rorge**_ _ **and**_ _ **Biter**_ _ **.**_

Arya's lips twitched slightly.

 _ **Jaqen asks her for water and introduces himself. A pair of**_ _ **Gold Cloaks**_ _ **approach the party and Arya hides, believing that they have come for her. They deliver a warrant for**_ _ **Gendry**_ _ **, one of Robert Baratheon's**_ _ **bastard**_ _ **children, but**_ _ **Yoren**_ _ **intimidates them into leaving empty-handed. They promise to return with more men.**_

"Threatening the Night's Watch?" Ned growled. "That was just the tip of the ice berg" Sansa said in a dark tone.

 _ **Arya asks Gendry why he is wanted and he admits that he does not know. He tells her that he was questioned by Lord**_ _ **Jon Arryn**_ _ **and Lord**_ _ **Eddard Stark**_ _ **in the months before he fled**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **. He questions why she thought that they had come for her and tells her that he has seen through her disguise. Arya reveals her identity to him and swears him to secrecy.**_

"This one's a good lad" Ned said. "Aye. A grand fighter as well" Jon nodded. "You met him?" Ned asked and even Arya looked interested. "Aye. We went beyond the wall together. Knows how to use a hammer" he said with a smile. "Great we have another Robert in the making" Stannis grumbled but Ned could tell that he was actually complimenting the kid.

 _ **In King's Landing,**_ _ **Varys**_ _ **discovers**_ _ **Shae**_ _ **living with**_ _ **Tyrion Lannister**_ _ **in the**_ _ **Tower of the Hand**_ _ **and makes implied threats about revealing her presence. Tyrion warns Varys not to underestimate him.**_ _ **Alton Lannister**_ _ **delivers King**_ _ **Robb Stark**_ _ **'s peace terms to the**_ _ **small council**_ _ **and Queen Regent**_ _ **Cersei Lannister**_ _ **rejects them.**_ _ **Grand Maester Pycelle**_ _ **relays a message from the**_ _ **Night's Watch**_ _ **requesting manpower and warning of**_ _ **wights**_ _ **. Tyrion is the only one to take the warning seriously.**_

"I mean without any actual proof no one would believe that threat. It is after all a fairy tale or was" Tyrion said. "Then why did you?" Jaime asked his brother. Tyrion shrugged, "I trusted the black brothers. They wouldn't sink low to use false threats for man power".

 _ **Ros**_ _ **struggles to continue her work as a**_ _ **prostitute**_ _ **after having witnessed the murder of**_ _ **Mhaegen**_ _ **'s infant daughter**_ _ **Barra**_ _ **, one of Robert Baratheon's bastard children.**_ _ **Petyr Baelish**_ _ **threatens her with a tale about selling an unhappy girl to a depraved customer in order to recoup his investment. He orders her to return happy after a night off.**_

Catelyn made a face of pure disgust. He was not the man she had known and she would gladly slit his throat when they meet.

 _ **Tyrion has Lord**_ _ **Janos Slynt**_ _ **for dinner and questions him about the**_ _ **massacre of the royal bastards**_ _ **. Janos freely admits his involvement but will not reveal who ordered the attack. Tyrion has Janos arrested and exiled to the**_ _ **Night's Watch**_ _ **and installs**_ _ **Bronn**_ _ **as**_ _ **Commander**_ _ **of the**_ _ **City Watch**_ _ **in his place. Cersei confronts Tyrion about his actions. He warns that she is losing the support of the people but she claims that she does not care. He concludes that**_ _ **Joffrey**_ _ **ordered the massacre, having initially suspected that it was Cersei. He jokes about her relationship with**_ _ **Jaime**_ _ **and she says that he has always been funny. She ends the discussion with the barb that his finest joke was killing their mother when he was born.**_

"Love you too sister" Tyrion raised his chalice and downed his drink in one go. Tywin looked at his youngest son stoically. Jaime has surely gotten his battle prowess from him but what he excels in the most, his mind, it was inherited by his youngest. Maybe it was time he began seeing him as a human, for a start.

 _ **On**_ _ **Dragonstone**_ _ **,**_ _ **Davos**_ _ **recruits the**_ _ **Lysene**_ __ _ **sellsail**_ __ _ **Salladhor Saan**_ _ **and his fleet of thirty ships to King**_ _ **Stannis Baratheon**_ _ **'s cause. His son**_ _ **Matthos Seaworth**_ _ **encourages him to learn to read so that he can study the holy texts of the**_ _ **Lord of Light**_ _ **but Davos is happy to put his faith solely in Stannis.**_

Stannis' lips curved ever so slightly, almost like an upward twitch.

 _ **Melisandre**_ _ **seduces**_ _ **Stannis**_ _ **with the promise of a son. At first, Stannis hesitates, explaining he has a**_ _ **wife**_ _ **, but Melisandre still manages to successfully seduce Stannis.**_

Stannis' face then contorts into one of disgust. "I can't believe" Robb began but a hand on the shoulder and shake of a head from his father silenced him.

 _ **Theon Greyjoy**_ _ **travels to the**_ _ **Iron Islands**_ _ **on a merchant ship and sleeps with the**_ _ **Captain's daughter**_ _ **. He tells her that he is expecting a warm reception and is crushed when there is no one to meet him when he disembarks in**_ _ **Lordsport**_ _ **.**_

"Knowing Balon, he probably thinks Theon has sided with the north and hence betrayed him" Ned sighed.

 _ **A woman offers him a ride to**_ _ **Pyke**_ _ **and he attempts to seduce her throughout the journey. He is further disappointed when his father**_ _ **Balon**_ _ **questions his loyalty and his memory of his roots having spent nine years as a ward of**_ _ **House Stark**_ _ **.**_

Ned shook his head in disappointment. Balon Greyjoy was not a good man. Not to his children. At least not to Theon anyways.

 _ **He delivers**_ _ **Robb Stark**_ _ **'s letter suggesting an alliance against**_ _ **House Lannister**_ _ **, for which Robb will make Balon King of the Iron Islands again. His guide enters and he is shocked to realize that she is his sister**_ _ **Yara**_ _ **when Balon greets her warmly.**_

"That must have been a shock and a nightmare for young seaweed" Mance chuckled.

 _ **Balon rejects the proposal and compares Theon unfavorably to his sister. He insists that he will follow the**_ _ **ironborn**_ _ **tradition of paying the**_ _ **iron price**_ _ **and says that no one will give him his crown. When Theon warns his father that he will not defeat the Lannisters, Balon retorts that he has no intention of fighting the Lannisters.**_ _ **Daenerys Targaryen**_ _ **and her**_ _ **khalasar**_ _ **lie exhausted in the heat, their water dwindling as they wait for the return of her**_ _ **bloodriders**_ _ **.**_ _ **Rakharo**_ _ **'s horse returns riderless and Ser**_ _ **Jorah Mormont**_ _ **discovers his head and severed braid in its saddle bag. He surmises that Rakharo was caught and killed by a rival khalasar.**_ _ **Irri**_ _ **is devastated by the death and believes the mutilation will prevent Rakharo from entering the**_ _ **Night Lands**_ _ **, the**_ _ **Dothraki**_ _ **land of the dead. Daenerys promises to hold a funeral for Rakharo.**_

"It was the only way knew I could act" Dany explained when Jon looked at her. Jon just nodded his head, a hand on her hand. Rhaegar looked at the two with a small smile and a silent prayer that the two didn't do what he thinks they did.

 _ **Samwell Tarly**_ _ **rescues one of**_ _ **Craster**_ _ **'s wives,**_ _ **Gilly**_ _ **, from**_ _ **Ghost**_ _ **when he bothers her for food. She confides her desire to flee from the keep because of her fear for what Craster will do if her unborn child is a boy. Sam takes her to Jon and she begs him to take her with them on the ranging but will not say what she is afraid of.**_ _ **Jon**_ _ **tells Gilly it is not possible for her to come with them because they are going deeper into wildling country. After Gilly leaves, Sam and Jon argue about the impracticality of taking Gilly with them.**_

"The boy fell for her" Jeor said in a bored drawl. "Aye he did" Jon chuckled and smiled at the scene.

 _ **Jon notices Craster taking a**_ _ **baby**_ _ **into the woods at night. He follows him and sees him leave the child to the**_ _ **White Walkers**_ _ **. Jon goes to the child but before he can intervene, Craster surprises him and knocks him out.**_

"Unbelievable" Jeor mouthed. "He is offering more people to the Night king's army!" Mance growled.


	15. 2-3

"When we get back" Jeor growled, "I will make sure the man is hunted down and given a slow death". Everyone looked at the man in surprise but didn't say much more. Even they knew they would be doing the same thing.

 _ **Craster**_ _ **drags his captive**_ _ **Jon Snow**_ _ **back to his**_ _ **keep**_ _ **. He had caught Jon spying on him while he left a baby in the forest for the**_ _ **White Walkers**_ _ **and has beaten him bloody.**_

Lyanna growls under her breath while Ned and Rhaegar looked at the screen with steel in their eyes.

 _ **Craster orders the men of the**_ _ **Night's Watch**_ _ **out of his home, blaming Jon.**_ _ **Lord Commander**_ __ _ **Jeor Mormont**_ _ **questions Jon about his actions. Jon realizes that Jeor has known all along that Craster is sacrificing his sons.**_

"I thought he was giving them up to the wolves but not this" Jeor clenched his fists. "If I had known", "you would have done nothing since he was you only source" Mance interrupted with a growl and the two forces looked at each other with anger, Mance's eyes much more than Jeor's.

 _ **However, Mormont considers Craster too valuable a contact to risk offending, as he is one of their few sources of information and shelter**_ _ **beyond the Wall**_ _ **. Mormont himself is disgusted by Craster's human sacrifice, not to mention his**_ _ **incestuous**_ _ **relationships with his own daughters but he will not interfere, and forbids Jon from doing so, as**_ _ **Craster**_ _ **has helped many members of the Night's Watch, among them,**_ _ **Benjen Stark**_ _ **. Jon reveals seeing**_ _ **something**_ _ **take the child. Jeor predicts that whatever it was Jon will see it again.**_

"You had guessed by then and were readying yourself" Jon put in his words before the situation could escalate.

 _ **Samwell Tarly**_ _ **gives**_ _ **Gilly**_ _ **a thimble that once belonged to**_ _ **his mother**_ _ **. He promises to come back for her when they make the return journey to**_ _ **Castle Black**_ _ **.**_ _ **Bran Stark**_ _ **continues to experience strange dreams where he sees the world from the perspective of his**_ _ **direwolf**_ __ _ **Summer**_ _ **.**_

"I used to have weird dreams like that too" Sansa, Jon, Arya and Lyanna mused out loud. "And you never told me?" Ned asked, his voice a pitch higher than normal. "Shrugged it off as a dream" they all shrugged.

 _ **He follows**_ _ **Hodor**_ _ **into his own bedroom and looks down on himself sleeping. Later, he confides in**_ _ **Maester**_ __ _ **Luwin**_ _ **, who is dismissive of their significance.**_

"He didn't believe in things that had no proof" Bran shook his head.

 _ **Catelyn Stark**_ _ **arrives in the camp of King**_ _ **Renly Baratheon**_ _ **during a tournament. She watches**_ _ **Brienne of Tarth**_ _ **defeat Ser**_ _ **Loras Tyrell**_ _ **and claim a place in Renly's**_ _ **kingsguard**_ _ **. Renly introduces Catelyn to his new wife,**_ _ **Margaery Tyrell**_ _ **. Renly shows off his 100,000 strong army. Catelyn warns Renly to take the war seriously. Renly tries to initiate sex with his lover Loras but is rebuffed.**_

"So the rumors are true" Stannis said in disgust. "It would seem so" Tywin said. He would have enjoyed knowing this had it not been for his children committing the sin of incest.

 _ **Loras reminds him of the importance of fathering an heir and goes to fetch his sister Queen Margaery. Margaery fails to seduce Renly. She is pragmatic about his homosexuality, and suggests including her brother in their love making, asserting the importance of producing an heir.**_

"That is so weird" Dany shivers. "Very" Jon agreed.

 _ **Theon Greyjoy**_ _ **is included in his father**_ _ **Balon**_ _ **'s war council. Balon reveals his plan to attack the lightly defended**_ _ **North**_ _ **while their armies are fighting against**_ _ **House Lannister**_ _ **. Theon is fuming when he is assigned a single ship to raid the fishing villages of the**_ _ **Stony Shore**_ _ **while his sister**_ _ **Yara**_ _ **is put in command of thirty ships and told to take**_ _ **Deepwood Motte**_ _ **. Theon implores his father to reconsider, claiming that if the Greyjoys attack the North, they face the possibility of total destruction if they lose, but if they ally with the Starks and win, Balon will be crowned King of the Iron Islands and**_ _ **House Greyjoy**_ _ **will be awarded Casterly Rock and essentially the source of the Lannisters' wealth along with it, but Balon rebuffs Theon and chastises him for becoming loyal to the Starks. Theon challenges his father's lack of faith in him and reminds him that he gave him up as a ward. Balon reacts by hitting his son and storming out as Theon shouts at him from behind. Theon considers warning**_ _ **Robb**_ _ **about his father's actions, but ultimately reaffirms his loyalty to his family by being baptised by a**_ _ **Drowned Priest**_ _ **.**_

Robb put his face in his hands and sighed into them.

 _ **Shae**_ _ **complains to**_ _ **Tyrion Lannister**_ _ **about being confined to his chambers. He liaises with**_ _ **Varys**_ _ **to find her a job that will give her some freedom.**_ _ **Cersei Lannister**_ _ **hosts an awkward dinner for her children and her captive**_ _ **Sansa Stark**_ _ **. Sansa maintains her façade of loyalty to her captors. Shae reports as Sansa's new handmaiden, allowing Sansa to vent some frustration about her inexperience. Tyrion tests the loyalty of the**_ _ **small council**_ _ **by feeding them each a different plan for a marriage alliance involving Princess**_ _ **Myrcella Baratheon**_ _ **. He uncovers**_ _ **Pycelle**_ _ **as an informant to Cersei when Cersei confronts him about the plan he fed to Pycelle. Tyrion insists on pursuing the exposed plan to marry Myrcella into**_ _ **House Martell**_ _ **of**_ _ **Dorne**_ _ **over Cersei's protests.**_

Tyrion sipped his drink with a sad look in his eyes. It was his idea to send Myrcella to that land and felt to some extent it was his fault in her death.

 _ **He has**_ _ **Bronn**_ _ **arrest Pycelle for his treachery.**_ _ **Petyr Baelish**_ _ **is furious about being involved in Tyrion's deception. Tyrion placates him by offering him an opportunity to act as an envoy to Renly and Catelyn.**_

"Clever use of his own weakness" Tywin said honestly which made Tyrion choke on his wine.

 _ **Arya Stark**_ _ **struggles with insomnia and takes advice from**_ _ **Yoren**_ _ **about coping with her painful memories. He tells her to focus on retribution. They are interrupted by the arrival of Ser**_ _ **Amory Lorch**_ _ **with a force of Lannister men and**_ _ **Gold Cloaks**_ _ **. Yoren marshals the recruits for a battle. He confronts Ser Amory and refuses to comply with his demands that he surrender the royal bastard**_ _ **Gendry**_ _ **. Yoren dies fighting bravely but his recruits are overcome.**_

All present lords growled at the act. It was a rule never written down to never harm a man of the Night's Watch.

 _ **During the fight**_ _ **Arya**_ _ **rescues**_ _ **Jaqen H'ghar**_ _ **from a fire near the prisoner wagon.**_ _ **Lommy Greenhands**_ _ **picks up**_ _ **Gendry**_ _ **'s helmet and is wounded by a crossbow bolt. Arya is incapacitated by**_ _ **Polliver**_ _ **who takes**_ _ **Needle**_ _ **from her. Gendry and**_ _ **Hot Pie**_ _ **are also captured. Lommy begs Polliver to carry him but Polliver stabs him in the throat with Needle instead. Arya convinces her captors that Lommy was Gendry because he was carrying the helmet. Ser Amory orders the prisoners be taken to**_ _ **Harrenhal**_ _ **.**_

"It was clever how you protected the bastard" Catelyn said with a stiff smile, not happy that her daughter could take a risk like that for a bastard. "His name is Gendry" Arya said with a hard look that shut her mother up.


	16. 2-4

_**The**_ _ **Northern**_ _ **army under King**_ _ **Robb Stark**_ _ **leads a surprise night-time assault against an encamped**_ _ **Lannister**_ _ **army, which was only manned by**_ _ **Rennick**_ _ **and another**_ _ **Lannister guardsman**_ _ **, with his**_ _ **direwolf**_ __ _ **Grey Wind**_ _ **causing a considerable amount of damage. The**_ _ **Battle of Oxcross**_ _ **is a smashing victory, following through on Robb's promise to give**_ _ **Cersei**_ _ **"another**_ _ **Whispering Wood**_ _ **." The next day Robb surveys the battlefield as**_ _ **Silent Sisters**_ _ **tend to both**_ _ **Stark**_ _ **and Lannister wounded, while his bannerman, Lord**_ _ **Roose Bolton**_ _ **of**_ _ **the Dreadfort**_ _ **, argues that they should kill all of the Lannister soldiers they took prisoner, because they're having trouble supplying their own army and prisoners will slow them down.**_

Sansa and Jon growl seeing the now late Roose Bolton.

 _ **Robb disagrees, saying they will fight honorably and follow the laws of war. Bolton concedes that some of the Lannister officers might have useful information they could be tortured into revealing, but Robb refuses, not wanting to give the Lannisters an excuse to torture his sisters,**_ _ **Sansa**_ _ **and**_ _ **Arya**_ _ **. Robb sees a woman battlefield healer treating a**_ _ **wounded Lannister**_ _ **soldier. The prisoner protests when she tells him she has to amputate in order to save his life. Robb helps hold him down as she saws off the leg. The woman, who introduces herself as**_ _ **Talisa**_ _ **of**_ _ **Volantis**_ _ **, criticizes Robb for the need for this war. Robb doesn't want the**_ _ **Iron Throne**_ _ **, just revenge on Joffrey for his father's death. She is shocked to learn he doesn't care which king takes the throne after they defeat Joffrey. He just wants them to leave the north alone afterward. She points out that for all the bloodshed they have caused, he hasn't hurt the ones who killed his father, Joffrey and**_ _ **Tywin Lannister**_ _ **. The men they slaughtered were not Tywin's main army but unwilling boy soldiers and conscripts from**_ _ **the Westerlands**_ _ **.**_

"She has a point" Ned points out, "those cannot be Lord Tywin's main army" he looks to Tywin who conforms his words.

 _ **Arya Stark**_ _ **,**_ _ **Gendry**_ _ **, and**_ _ **Hot Pie**_ _ **are taken by Ser**_ _ **Amory Lorch**_ _ **'s group of soldiers to**_ _ **Harrenhal**_ _ **, a vast but partially ruined castle which was badly damaged during the**_ _ **Targaryen Conquest**_ _ **three hundred years ago by**_ _ **dragons**_ _ **' fire. Arya's group is herded in with many other prisoners the Lannister soldiers have taken, primarily peasant refugees from**_ _ **the Riverlands**_ _ **. The commander of the entire Lannister force is Ser**_ _ **Gregor Clegane**_ _ **, "the Mountain That Rides,"**_ _ **previously declared an outlaw**_ _ **by**_ _ **Eddard Stark**_ _ **for his raiding in the Riverlands. Now the positions are reversed, with Clegane having the support of the Iron Throne to brutalize the Rivermen.**_

"That idiot of a boy" Tywin hisses. He may not like the lord of the Riverlands but even he wouldn't go on to hurt innocents like that if it was not necessary which it wasn't.

 _ **The stench of corpses is so strong that Arya notices it as soon as they are in sight of the castle. The Lannister soldiers under Ser Gregor - particularly one known as**_ _ **The Tickler**_ _ **–sadistically torture many of the prisoners they have taken. One method used is to tie a bucket containing a rat to a man's abdomen, and then to hold a flame to the back of the bucket so the rat will chew its way through the man's guts.**_

Everyone made a face of pure disgust, everyone except Arya and Bran who had no emotions on their face from the start.

 _ **The prisoners are for the most part simple peasant refugees with no knowledge of the war, and the Lannister soldiers are savagely torturing them just because they want to know where they may have hid the few valuables they have. However, some are also asked if they know anything about a group known as "**_ _ **The Brotherhood**_ _ **." Just as Gendry is about to be tortured, Lord**_ _ **Tywin Lannister**_ _ **arrives with the main host of his army, who have retreated to Harrenhal to regroup after their loss at the Battle of the Whispering Wood. The main Lannister army group led by Lord Tywin is settling in to use Harrenhal as their new main base for the ongoing campaign in the Riverlands. Tywin orders an immediate halt to the tortures, rationally pointing out how disproportionate it is relative to what little wealth the peasants might be hiding, and it would be far more efficient to put them to work around the castle.**_

"Father's was of stopping the men from being tortured" Tyrion mutters and sips his wine.

 _ **As a blacksmith's apprentice, Gendry's skills are of particular use to them, and he is set to work. Tywin instantly notices that "Arry" is really a girl dressed up in boy's clothing, criticizing his soldiers for being too foolish to notice. When he asks her why she's dressed as a boy, Arya simply explains that it was safer. Tywin is impressed with her intelligence, and takes her on as his new**_ _ **cupbearer**_ _ **while his army is based at the castle.**_ _ **I**_ _ **n**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **, King**_ _ **Joffrey Baratheon**_ _ **is furious when he hears of Robb Stark's decisive victory against Lannister forces. He has**_ _ **Sansa Stark**_ _ **brought before the assembled court in the**_ _ **recently redecorated**_ _ **throne room, which now boasts iron spikes on many surfaces and roaring fires surrounding the pillars. Lancel Lannister tells Sansa and the assembled nobles that Robb only won the battle with trickery and sorcery.**_

"AS of anyone had believed that" Sansa snorted. She still remembered the whispers in the room about how the new king was deceiving them all and how the Northern Lords held up their honor even if they would die.

 _ **At first, Joffrey sadistically menaces Sansa by brandishing a crossbow at her and openly toying with the thought of killing her right in front of the throne to send her brother a message. Despite being clearly terrified, Sansa refuses to give Joffrey the satisfaction of scaring her and continues to firmly pledge her loyalty. Annoyed, he reluctantly concedes to his mother's insistence that they need Sansa alive, lowering the crossbow and ordering her to stand. Joffrey then sits down on the Iron Throne and commands Ser**_ _ **Meryn Trant**_ _ **of the**_ _ **Kingsguard**_ _ **to beat and strip her as punishment, but instructs Trant to leave her face because "I like her pretty."**_

Catelyn's eyes widened while Lyanna and Ned both growled menacingly like two direwolves.

 _ **Ser Meryn punches Sansa violently in the stomach and strikes her in the back of the legs with the flat of his sword, causing her to fall down. He then rips open the back of her gown, leaving her partially naked from the waist up. As the beating continues, the entire court watches in horror, particularly a disgusted**_ _ **Sandor Clegane**_ _ **. But despite the room being filled with dozens of**_ _ **knights**_ _ **and officials, no one intervenes out of fear of Joffrey's wrath.**_

Catelyn gets up and and moves over to her eldest daughter and gives her the tightest hug she could manage. "I am so sorry you had to go through that" she whispered brokenly. Sansa for her part just nodded and hugged her, she did not have the heart to tell her how much worse she would come to face.

 _ **A furious**_ _ **Tyrion Lannister**_ _ **marches in and puts a stop to the spectacle. He orders someone to cover Sansa up and Sandor immediately steps forward, taking off his cloak and proceeds to gently wrap it around her. Tyrion turns his wrath upon Joffrey, berating his actions as Sansa is his future wife and queen that he is publicly shaming.**_

"Thank you" Ned said sincerely on behalf f his family who looked ready to murder. Tyrion merely nodded his head and resumed drinking.

 _ **Furious, Joffrey proclaims that he was punishing her. Denouncing his nephew as a "halfwit," Tyrion points out the absurdity of punishing Sansa for her brother's actions miles away in a war that Joffrey himself started. Now completely enraged, Joffrey bellows that as king, he can do whatever he pleases, but Tyrion again coldly counters that**_ _ **the Mad King**_ _ **thought he could do as he pleased too, which led to him being**_ _ **overthrown**_ _ **and killed.**_

"Perfectly said" Rhaegar said honestly. He did not like the way his father had begun to rule in the end and didn't have any problems seeing the old man go. He also had no problems seeing this product of incest go in the same manner.

 _ **When Ser Meryn tries to support the king, Tyrion silences the Kingsguard by ordering Bronn to kill Meryn if the knight opens his mouth again. Tyrion comforts the shaken Sansa and personally escorts her out of the hall. He asks her whether she wants to end her engagement to the king, but she continues to parrot the lines that she loves Joffrey and will uphold her duty. Impressed, Tyrion remarks that she has learned how to survive around Joffrey and might just make it out of her situation alive, respectfully calling her "Lady Stark."**_

Sansa smiled slightly remembering how Tyrion was the first to be actually be kind to her in the capital.

 _ **Bronn**_ _ **suggests to Tyrion that as an angry young man, maybe what Joffrey needs is to have sex with a woman, and that they should set him up with a prostitute.**_

"Yeah I don't think that would help" Jaime shook his head.

 _ **Tyrion agrees that maybe this would give Joffrey a chance to release his frustrations away from Sansa. Indeed, he might even be grateful for the gesture: given that he didn't have much of a father figure in Robert Baratheon to set him straight, doing something nice for the boy might even be the second chance Joffrey needs to re-establish a relationship with a male family figure. So Tyrion arranges for two**_ _ **prostitutes**_ _ **from**_ _ **Littlefinger's brothel**_ _ **,**_ _ **Ros**_ _ **and**_ _ **Daisy**_ _ **, to entertain Joffrey. Unfortunately, the attempt fails horrifically: instead of trying to have sex with the prostitutes, Joffrey brings a loaded crossbow into the bedchamber. At crossbow-point, Joffrey forces Ros to beat Daisy unconscious, and then to dump her body in Tyrion's chambers, to send his uncle a message warning him not to interfere with his handling of Sansa again.**_

"Foolish boy" Tywin groans rubbing his face. He might have not liked the approach Tyrion went with but the gesture he could understand. His grandson was beyond redemption he could understand.

 _ **As Tyrion works in his chamber late at night, his cousin**_ _ **Lancel Lannister**_ _ **knocks on his door delivering orders from Cersei to release**_ _ **Grand Maester**_ __ _ **Pycelle**_ _ **from the dungeon at once. Despite their blood relationship Lancel clearly holds Tyrion in contempt and openly calls him "Imp." Curious, Tyrion asks why Lancel is so late delivering the message. Blundering into a rather obvious trap, Lancel retorts that he always delivers messages immediately and is never late. Tyrion then simply points out how odd it is that Lancel would be coming from Cersei's bedchambers in the middle of the night. Lancel nervously says Cersei often works tirelessly keeping late hours, but Tyrion also notices that he reeks of Cersei's favorite lavender oil perfume. Tyrion enquires whether Lancel was made a knight before or after he started sharing Cersei's bed. Lancel falls apart, saying that Cersei's father ordered him to obey her every command when he became a squire to King Robert. Tyrion sarcastically asks if Cersei forced him to have sex with her too. Tyrion wonders aloud what Joffrey would do if he found out that Lancel had not only killed Joffrey's father but was also sleeping with his mother. Lancel gets down on his knees and pleads for his life. Tyrion gently instructs Lancel that he won't tell, but from now on, Lancel must report everything Cersei does back to Tyrion. As Lancel leaves, he also casually agrees that he will accede to Cersei's request and free Pycelle if she wants him as a "pet", though he doesn't want him back on the Small Council.**_

"Brilliantly played" Tormund laughs. Tyrion lifts his chalice.

 _ **Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish**_ _ **arrives at King**_ _ **Renly Baratheon**_ _ **'s camp as a political envoy from King**_ _ **Joffrey Baratheon**_ _ **at**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **. He tries to gain Renly's trust by implying that if Renly does march on the capital, he will help take down the Lannisters from within. Renly is tempted by the notion, despite his dislike for Littlefinger. Littlefinger then has a conversation with Queen**_ _ **Margaery Tyrell**_ _ **in which he tries to intimidate her by hinting that her husband is homosexual. He does not anticipate that Margaery seems to already know and not to care. Margaery is not a naive ingenue like**_ _ **Sansa Stark**_ _ **but versed in court strategies: she honestly believes that Renly is the best candidate for king, and voluntarily entered into a paper marriage to secure the political alliance between Renly and**_ _ **House Tyrell**_ _ **. Baelish then meets with**_ _ **Catelyn Stark**_ _ **, who is still furious at his betrayal of**_ _ **her husband**_ _ **to his death. Baelish first tries to kindle a romance with her, saying that now they are both free, it may be that they can be together.**_

The Stark's growls while the rest snort in disgust.

 _ **Catelyn simply draws a dagger and demands that he stop speaking. Discouraged, he moves on to present Tyrion's offer that the Lannisters want to make a prisoner exchange with the Starks: if they release**_ _ **Jaime Lannister**_ _ **, Queen Cersei will release both Sansa Stark and**_ _ **Arya Stark**_ _ **. Catelyn insists that Robb would never allow the exchange, but Littlefinger tries to manipulate her love for her imprisoned daughters. As a show of good faith from Tyrion, Baelish brings forward a pair of**_ _ **Silent Sisters**_ _ **carrying a box containing the remains of Ned Stark. Deeply grieving, Catelyn tells Petyr to get out. She looks at the bones with pain, but then shuts the box with a look of resolve on her face.**_

"Oh no" Robb groans, "he got mother in his plays" he rubs his face. Catelyn for her part remained quiet as she understood now how she would be played by this rat of a man.

 _ **King**_ _ **Stannis Baratheon**_ _ **then arrives at Renly's camp, along with the**_ _ **Red Priestess**_ _ **Melisandre and Ser**_ _ **Davos Seaworth**_ _ **in his retinue. Stannis has come to treat with Renly and give him the chance to willingly relinquish his claim and serve his older brother. Renly, along with his**_ _ **Kingsguard**_ _ **members**_ _ **Brienne**_ _ **and Ser**_ _ **Loras Tyrell**_ _ **, counters that no one wants Stannis to be king. Renly also scoffs at Stannis's conversion to the religion of the**_ _ **Lord of Light**_ _ **.**_ _ **Catelyn Stark**_ _ **criticizes both brothers for acting like sulking children. Stannis counters that it is odd that Catelyn is standing alongside Renly, given that her own husband Ned Stark**_ _ **rejected Renly's initial plan to claim the throne**_ _ **and supported Stannis as Robert's rightful heir, even at the cost of his own life. In a display of leniency that is uncharacteristic for him, Stannis offers Renly that if he relinquishes his claim, Stannis will grant him his**_ _ **old seat**_ _ **on the**_ _ **small council**_ _ **, and even name him as his. Catelyn reminds Stannis that their common enemy is the Lannisters, but he will not hear it, again asserting his right to the Iron Throne. Renly states that the 100,000 soldiers waving his banners makes him king, and Stannis' small army is hopelessly outnumbered. Stannis says that they shall see the next morning when their armies clash, and he departs. As she leaves Melisandre warns, "Look to your sins Lord Renly, for the night is dark and full of terrors." Renly watches his brother fade into the distance and asks his companions if they can believe that he loved Stannis once.**_

Stannis blinks but says nothing more.

 _ **At King Stannis's command, Ser Davos rows**_ _ **Melisandre**_ _ **to some caves located near**_ _ **Renly**_ _ **'s camp. Davos knows these caves from his old smuggling days. Melisandre asks him about whether he desires her, and his views on the conflict they are involved in between right and wrong, insisting that she is on the side of good. They find the way through the caves is blocked by metal bars. Melisandre takes off her cloak revealing that she is naked and heavily pregnant and promptly "gives birth" to a creature made entirely of**_ _ **shadow**_ _ **, as Ser Davos looks on in horror.**_

"Witchcraft" Catelyn hisses in anger. "Yep she does try that a lot" Jon mumbled to himself.

 _ **On the return of her bloodrider**_ _ **Kovarro**_ _ **, Daenerys receives word that the city of**_ _ **Qarth**_ _ **is nearby, and they are willing to receive the "Mother of**_ _ **Dragons**_ _ **." Ser**_ _ **Jorah Mormont**_ _ **cautions that the desert surrounding Qarth is known as the "**_ _ **Garden of Bones**_ _ **," as those who are turned away by Qarth perish outside the city walls due to exposure and thirst. Daenerys and her**_ _ **Khalasar**_ _ **leave the**_ _ **Red Waste**_ _ **and reach the city of**_ _ **Qarth**_ _ **.**_ _ **The Thirteen**_ _ **, a group of wealthy nobles and merchant princes, the leaders of Qarth, emerge to greet her, guarded by a group of**_ _ **shielded spearmen**_ _ **. One of the Thirteen, the**_ _ **Spice King**_ _ **, speaks for the group. They request that the "Mother of Dragons" present her children, but Daenerys insists that her people be fed and sheltered before she reveals her dragons. The Thirteen decide to turn Daenerys' group away and abandon them to the Garden of Bones. Daenerys swears vengeance on Qarth, with "fire and blood," should they not comply. Jorah seems to find these threats rather reckless, but one of the Thirteen,**_ _ **Xaro Xhoan Daxos**_ _ **, chooses to vouch for Daenerys through**_ _ **Sumai**_ _ **, a blood oath by which a Qartheen may vouch for a visitor. Daenerys and her**_ _ **Khalasar**_ _ **are let into Qarth.**_

"For him to vouch like that. Something is not right" Rhaegar thought to himself


	17. 2-5

_**King**_ _ **Renly Baratheon**_ _ **is assassinated by the**_ _ **Shadow**_ _ **brought into the world by**_ _ **Melisandre**_ _ **and fathered by**_ _ **Stannis Baratheon**_ _ **just after agreeing to an alliance with King**_ _ **Robb Stark**_ _ **.**_

"How could this" Stannis rubbed his face with his hands. He couldn't believe he had resorted to witch craft and killed his own brother, his own flesh and blood just like that. No one said anything, feeling there was no way they could make the storm lord feel better about his actions.

 _ **His**_ _ **kingsguard**_ __ _ **Brienne**_ _ **is mistakenly blamed for the death and she flees the camp with**_ _ **Catelyn Stark**_ _ **. Brienne later swears fealty to Catelyn. Renly's army disintegrates, with the forces of**_ _ **House Tyrell**_ _ **fleeing to**_ _ **Highgarden**_ _ **and the rest of his bannermen joining his brother King Stannis. Lord**_ _ **Petyr Baelish**_ _ **accompanies the Tyrell faction, sensing an opportunity to sway them to Joffrey's side.**_

"That rat" Catelyn growled. "Indeed he needs to be dealt with the moment we return" Ned growled under his breath. His sentiment was agreed apon by all of the present men and women in the room, even the wildlings did not like him.

 _ **Ser**_ _ **Davos Seaworth**_ _ **challenges King Stannis on his use of Melisandre's**_ _ **magic**_ _ **and convinces him to leave Melisandre behind when they attack**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **to quash rumors of her influence on him. Stannis places Davos in command of his fleet. When he is alone in his tent, Stannis briefly fights against the tears, showing he does in fact grieve for his younger brother.**_

Stannis had no such qualms here as he let his tears fall freely, truly feeling the weight of what he had done. Tywin who was sitting beside him awkwardly rubbed his back as a sign of comfort, much to the shock of the Lannister brothers.

 _ **Hand of the King**_ __ _ **Tyrion Lannister**_ _ **brings news of Renly's death to his sister, Queen Regent**_ _ **Cersei Lannister**_ _ **. She is pleased, but Tyrion predicts Stannis's imminent attack. He tries to discuss plans for their defense, but she insists on keeping them secret. From his spy, his cousin Ser**_ _ **Lancel Lannister**_ _ **, Tyrion learns that Cersei has been having extensive meetings with the**_ _ **Alchemists' Guild**_ _ **.**_

"This is stupid. Kepping the hand in the dark like that" Tywin growled and again Tyrion was surprised to find his father on his side, even if it was the hand's side.

 _ **He visits Wisdom**_ _ **Hallyne**_ _ **of the guild and learns that they have stockpiled thousands of jars of**_ _ **Wildfire**_ _ **, to use as catapult ammunition.**_

"She must be joking" Tyrion gaped. "Does she even know what the fuck she is thinking!?" Jaime shouted in surprise. "Clearly" Tywin growled, "my daughter is too far in the clouds to realize the dangers".

 _ **Bronn**_ _ **warns that this strategy could be disastrous, and result in panicking defenders accidentally burning down their own city. Tyrion orders Hallyne to answer to him instead of Cersei. Tyrion also passes a street protest that blames him for the ills of the city, as they believe Tyrion to be manipulating**_ _ **Joffrey**_ _ **.**_

"Right because I don't have better things to do" Tyrion snorted. "It was probably stared by that mad woman" Lyanna fumed.

 _ **Theon Greyjoy**_ _ **takes command of his new ship and finds his crew insubordinate. His first mate**_ _ **Dagmer Cleftjaw**_ _ **tells him that he needs to prove himself to the men and Theon plans to raid**_ _ **Torrhen's Square**_ _ **to draw the remaining forces of**_ _ **House Stark**_ _ **from**_ _ **Winterfell**_ _ **. His plan is successful and Ser**_ _ **Rodrik Cassel**_ _ **leads a force of 200 men to relieve his siege of Torrhen's Square.**_

"Theon" Robb groaned still in disbelief. "It would seem the iron price is too deep in him" Ned stated coldly.

 _ **Bran Stark**_ _ **provides well judged counsel to his subjects but continues to be troubled by his dreams. He discusses dreaming of a**_ _ **Three-Eyed Raven**_ _ **with the wildling woman**_ _ **Osha**_ _ **but she declines to interpret the dream. He also confides dreaming of the sea flooding Winterfell and drowning his people, including Ser Rodrik.**_

"You saw it coming?" Robb looked at Bran who nodded. "Back then I had no idea what these meant" Bran said monotonously as Robb nodded, still not used to such low emotions in his brothers voice.

 _ **Tywin Lannister**_ _ **hosts a protracted war council to determine a new strategy to deal with Robb.**_ _ **Arya Stark**_ _ **serves as his**_ _ **cupbearer**_ _ **. Though he does not know who she really is, Tywin realizes that she is of northern extraction and questions her about her origins and opinions regarding Robb. She manages to avoid revealing her true identity. She leaves to fetch water and encounters**_ _ **Jaqen H'ghar**_ _ **, now a Lannister man-at-arms. Jaqen says that because she saved his life, and those of his two fellow prisoners, he owes her three deaths and offers to kill three people of her choosing. She targets**_ _ **the Tickler**_ _ **, Ser**_ _ **Gregor Clegane**_ _ **'s torturer. The Tickler is soon found dead in the courtyard, his neck twisted 180 degrees. Arya notices Jaqen on the walkway above and he holds a single finger to his face to signify his responsibility.**_

"You gained the help of an assassin?" Catelyn stared at her daughter in horror. Not just any. From the looks of it, a faceless man" Ned said as the pieces about his youngest daughter started falling in place in his head.

 _ **Lord Commander**_ __ _ **Jeor Mormont**_ _ **leads his ranging to the ancient**_ _ **Fist of the First Men**_ _ **to rendezvous with the experienced scout**_ _ **Qhorin Halfhand**_ _ **. Qhorin arrives and warns Jeor that they must change their tactics to combat the wildling army under**_ _ **King-Beyond-the-Wall**_ __ _ **Mance Rayder**_ _ **. He suggests sending a small party ahead to neutralize Mance's lookouts in the**_ _ **Skirling Pass**_ _ **.**_ _ **Jon Snow**_ _ **joins Qhorin's group, while**_ _ **Samwell Tarly**_ _ **takes his task as the steward of Lord Commander**_ _ **Jeor Mormont**_ _ **.**_ _ **Daenerys Targaryen**_ _ **has taught her**_ _ **dragons**_ _ **to breathe fire on command and they are now capable of sharing and eating meat on their own.**_

"You're raising them well" Rhaegar said with a small smile. "It wasn't easy but it was worth it" Dany smiled at the memory then her smile dropped when the picture of Viscerion came into mind. Jon looked at her with sympathy knowing exactly what she was thinking and gave her shoulder a firm squeeze. Dany looked at Jon and smiled in appreciation of his support.

 _ **She is enjoying the hospitality of the wealthy noble**_ _ **Xaro Xhoan Daxos**_ _ **in the city of**_ _ **Qarth**_ _ **. He hosts a gathering in her honor in the gardens of his home. She is perturbed by the tricks of the warlock**_ _ **Pyat Pree**_ _ **, who invites her to visit the**_ _ **House of the Undying**_ _ **. The masked woman**_ _ **Quaithe**_ _ **delivers an enigmatic warning to Ser**_ _ **Jorah Mormont**_ _ **about Daenerys's need for protection from those who lust after her dragons. Xaro offers to fund Daenerys's invasion of**_ _ **Westeros**_ _ **in exchange for her hand in marriage. Later, she seeks Jorah's advice about the proposal and he cautions against accepting financial aid. He suggests that she will be able to win her throne should she reach Westeros with just a single ship. He reveals his depth of feeling for her but she does not return his affections.**_

Dany looked at Jorah and smiled sadly, she knew how much he cared for her but she simply did not return the feelings. She saw him more as a friend.


	18. 2-6

Before the next segment began, Skylark appeared in a flash of bright light which had caused everyone in the room to go temporarily blind. When they had regained their vision, Skylark stood in front of them in a leather armor over chainmail and leather pants and a katana strapped to the side and a black cloak over everything. _"It would seem_ " he began in a deep voice with a hint of amusement and a bit of a guilty undertone to his voice, _"I made a grievous miscalculations. To change the past, you would need the players from the past to fix the future as well. And the future version of such players would play no role in that"_ he said. "And what makes you say that?" Rhaegar asked. Skylark looked up properly and for the first time his eyes were actually completely visible. They were two orbs of purple which swam with power and intimidation that automatically sent everyone on edge. _"I have seen the future of course"_ he smiled and raised his right arm as the room was tackled by an intense bright light that made everyone's skin tingle and burn slightly. When the light died down, Skylark had disappeared, but that wasn't everything. In place of the future members, the ones from the past were there and they looked extremely confused for just a second before their faces went void of any emotions and their eyes completely white. Before anyone could get up and ask what happened, they returned back to normal and Jon spoke, "we just received instructions as to why we are here and what you guys have seen till now" he explained. "And nothing from your future self?" Tywin asked. Jon was about to answer but Tyrion cut in with an edge to his voice, "nothing from our future selves father" he replied. Tywin nodded his head but he was taken by surprise at the sudden edge to his youngest's voice. "Well let's start watching again" a booming voice roared and everyone turned around to look at Robert Baratheon sitting beside his brother with a furious look on his face which made Arya, Bran and Sansa shiver. It seemed that the king was brought back and Jorah Mormont was taken back for some reason. They all nodded and sat down with their families. The stark children sat between their parents while Jon sat between Rhaegar and Lyanna since it was requested by them. Danaerys sat on the other side of her brother while Tormund sat with Mance Rayder. Tyrion sat beside Jaime who had their father on his other side and the scene began.

 _ **At**_ _ **Winterfell**_ _ **,**_ _ **Maester**_ __ _ **Luwin**_ _ **frantically sends off a messenger**_ _ **raven**_ _ **. A band of raiders from**_ _ **House Greyjoy**_ _ **, led by**_ _ **Theon Greyjoy**_ _ **, take over the undefended castle.**_

"That fool" Rob hissed. "So he actually did it" Jon said coldly which took Ned by surprise, having never heard such a tone from the boy. Jon was shocked, angered and devastated by the betrayal of the one who he thought of as a brother, even though they did quarrel a lot and hence his anger was far greater than what Ned felt.

 _ **Theon had lured the defenders away with a feint at**_ _ **Torrhen's Square**_ _ **and then infiltrated the castle using grappling claws. Theon tells**_ _ **Bran Stark**_ _ **to surrender the castle to him to save his people.**_

Bran clutches his mother's dress tightly, fear running through his veins as to what might happen to him now. "It will be okay" Catelyn said comfortingly, "this will never happen to you. We will make sure of that" she smiled making Bran smile as well, forgetting his fears for a moment.

 _ **Bran submits in front of his assembled people. Ser**_ _ **Rodrik Cassel**_ _ **is captured by Theon's men as he is returning from Torrhen's Square. He spits in Theon's face, and**_ _ **Dagmer Cleftjaw**_ _ **insists that Theon must kill him, or lose face in front of his**_ _ **ironborn**_ _ **raiders. Theon botches the beheading of Ser Rodrik, requiring several hacks and a kick, horrifying the people of Winterfell.**_

Arya growled under her breath. She had never liked Theon for some reason or another, but now had a legitimate reason to not like him. And from the looks of it her family agreed with her sentiments.

 _ **Later that night,**_ _ **Osha**_ _ **the**_ _ **wildling**_ _ **woman, has sex with Theon, but then sneaks out of his room while he is asleep. Osha frees Bran,**_ _ **Rickon Stark**_ _ **,**_ _ **Hodor**_ _ **, and their**_ _ **direwolves**_ _ **. She smuggles them out of the castle and kills**_ _ **one**_ _ **of Theon's guards in the process.**_

"Resourceful" Mance grumbled. "A shame she ain't one of mine" Tormund said.

 _ **At King**_ _ **Robb Stark**_ _ **'s army camp, Robb chats with**_ _ **Talisa**_ _ **, who has followed his forces on their campaign. Robb introduces Talisa to his mother**_ _ **Catelyn Stark**_ _ **, who has returned from**_ _ **the Stormlands**_ _ **along with**_ _ **Brienne of Tarth**_ _ **.**_

Tormund blinks owlishly at Brienne and breaks into a wide grin.

 _ **They are interrupted when Lord**_ _ **Roose Bolton**_ _ **arrives with the terrible news sent by Luwin's last messenger raven. Furious at Theon's betrayal, Robb intends to march his army back to the North to repel the invasion. Roose advises that the few hundred soldiers left scattered in the North can be rallied by his bastard son,**_ _ **Ramsay Snow**_ _ **, who is in the North at**_ _ **the Dreadfort**_ _ **. They could overcome the small Ironborn invasion force. Roose warns that retreating the entire Northern army group would lose everything they have gained. Robb agrees, but insists that Bolton's men take Theon alive so Robb can look him in the eyes and ask "Why?" before personally executing him.**_

"Something tells me" Rob cleared his throat to try get rid of that closed up feeling he suddenly got at the mention of Ramsay Snow, "it doesn't go as planned" he looked to Jon who shrugged. "I wouldn't know brother. Maybe future me could have but not me" Jon shook his head and returned his eyes on the giant screen with a concentrated look on his face which Lyanna found a bit adorable.

 _ **At**_ _ **Harrenhal**_ _ **, the main base camp for the**_ _ **House Lannister**_ _ **army in the Riverlands, Tywin Lannister berates Ser**_ _ **Amory Lorch**_ _ **for delivering a letter to their enemies instead of their allies, because he cannot read properly. He discovers that his**_ _ **cupbearer**_ _ **"Arry" can read.**_ _ **Petyr Baelish**_ _ **arrives at camp and meets with Tywin.**_

There were a round of hisses and growls and a scream of beheading from the room.

 _ **Arya tries to hide her face to prevent Littlefinger from identifying her. Baelish discusses the assassination of**_ _ **Renly Baratheon**_ _ **, and the subsequent rallying of the noble Houses from**_ _ **the Stormlands**_ _ **under the banner of his older brother**_ _ **Stannis Baratheon**_ _ **.**_

Robert gave his younger brother a pitying angry look. Stannis for his part could not meet his older brother's eyes and just kept his eyes on the ground.

 _ **However,**_ _ **House Tyrell**_ _ **of**_ _ **the Reach**_ _ **has retreated its large army back to their capital at**_ _ **Highgarden**_ _ **, and has not joined Stannis. Baelish discusses with Tywin the possibility of forming an alliance between House Lannister and House Tyrell. Later Tywin questions Arya about her origins. While Tywin is distracted, Arya sees that a letter on his table is about her older brother Robb Stark, so she snatches it. After she asks Tywin about his own father, Tywin sends her to fetch more firewood. She takes this opportunity to read the letter, but unfortunately bumps into Amory Lorch who sees that she is carrying the letter and grows suspicious. Arya runs away and Amory heads to tell Tywin. Arya runs to find**_ _ **Jaqen H'ghar**_ _ **, telling him that Amory Lorch is the second name he owes her, and it must be now. Just as Amory Lorch reaches Tywin's quarters, he falls down dead with a poisoned dart lodged in his neck.**_

"That was fast" Arya mumbled in shock. Seeing someone die from the other Arya's memory was one thing but to see them with her own eyes sent a shiver down her spine. Ned put a hand on his daughter's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. He remembered the future Arya very well, how she had looked on people dying with no emotions, not even a flinch, like she was used to it. He would not let that happen to this Arya.

 _ **The royal court including King**_ _ **Joffrey Baratheon**_ _ **, Queen Regent**_ _ **Cersei Lannister**_ _ **, Prince**_ _ **Tommen Baratheon**_ _ **, and**_ _ **Sansa Stark**_ _ **are at the docks seeing off Princess**_ _ **Myrcella Baratheon**_ _ **as she departs in a ship bound for**_ _ **Dorne**_ _ **.**_

Robert grunted slightly. The girl may have been a product of incest and not of his blood at all, but he had seen the girl grow from a mere babe and had held her in his arms. She was as good as his if anything and seeing he go away like this really did strike a chord in him.

 _ **Cersei is heartbroken and warns Tyrion that she will not forgive him for sending away her only daughter. As per Tyrion's plans, Myrcella will stay in Dorne with**_ _ **House Martell**_ _ **until she comes of age to fulfill the marriage alliance to their youngest son,**_ _ **Trystane Martell**_ _ **. The**_ _ **High Septon**_ _ **of the**_ _ **Faith of the Seven**_ _ **offers a blessing for her departure. The streets of the capital city are overflowing with starving refugees from the**_ _ **War of the Five Kings**_ _ **, as Cersei ignored both Tyrion and Janos Slynt's earlier warnings that something had to be done to care for the starving**_ _ **peasants**_ _ **or there would be mounting discontent with her son's rule.**_

"Foolish woman" Robert barked in pure anger. Tywin rubbed his face in disappointment,. His daughter was a fool and even he couldn't help her this time.

 _ **As the royal party travels back to the**_ _ **Red Keep**_ _ **through the crowded streets, the starving refugees and commoners of King's Landing plead for bread and hurl insults at King Joffrey, and ultimately, someone throws cow excrement into Joffrey's face. Despite being accompanied by only a few dozen guards facing hundreds of peasants, Joffrey impetuously orders his soldiers to kill the entire crowd.**_

"That boy!" Robert growls. He was in thorough disgust with what his 'son' was doing and he lead the kingdom. If there was one thing he was sure of, he would make sure the second coming of the mad king would never ascend the throne.

 _ **A**_ _ **riot**_ _ **subsequently erupts and spreads throughout the city. The royal party's guards are soon overwhelmed, and Joffrey, Cersei and Tyrion barely make it back to the castle unscathed. The High Septon is literally torn apart by the mob.**_ _ **Tyrion**_ _ **is enraged by Joffrey's shocking stupidity, for massively overreacting to having cow dung thrown at him, and for not realizing that his orders would cause a riot among the starving peasants and endanger the entire royal party. Joffrey, still manically cursing the mob and demanding they all be killed, shrieks that Tyrion cannot speak to him in that way and petulantly reminds his uncle that he is talking to a king. Tyrion then contemptuously slaps his nephew across the face but Joffrey does not retaliate.**_

"Good on you Imp" Robert grunted. Tyrion blinked at the fat king and just nodded.

 _ **The scant two thousand**_ _ **City Watch**_ _ **guards have difficulty containing the riot, and chaos reigns throughout the city. Tyrion realizes to his horror that Sansa Stark was lost in the crowd.**_

The Stark's eyes widened in horror. "It'll be okay" Ned said weakly, knowing full well what could happen to his daughter.

 _ **Joffrey petulantly refuses to send his men after her, oblivious to her importance as a**_ _ **hostage**_ _ **or the fact that if any harm comes to her, the Starks may retaliate by executing his uncle**_ _ **Jaime**_ _ **. Outside, Sansa is dragged away by a mob of angry men and is about to be raped, when**_ _ **Sandor "The Hound" Clegane**_ _ **arrives and slays her assailants.**_

The Stark's all let out a sigh of relief. A Sansa buried herself into Rob's side who was trying very hard to calm her.

 _ **He carries Sansa to the castle and orders handmaids to take care of her. Tyrion thanks him for saving Sansa's life, but Sandor bluntly responds that he didn't do it for him.**_

"He is a blunt one but his heart is in the right place" Ned muttered to himself, seeing the hound in a new light for the first time.

 _ **The scouting party of the**_ _ **Night's Watch**_ _ **led by**_ _ **Qhorin Halfhand**_ _ **has left the expeditionary base their main force set up at the**_ _ **Fist of the First Men**_ _ **, and continues searching for the**_ _ **wildlings**_ _ **in the**_ _ **Frostfangs**_ _ **mountain range. They encounter a small group of wildling scouts and engage them in combat, killing all except one: a red-haired young woman named**_ _ **Ygritte**_ _ **.**_

Jon blinks and tilts his head slightly, looking at the screen intently, something his parents and uncle did not fail to notice but had different thoughts in their heads. Ned and Rhaegar thought about Jon's first kill and him wanting to see what it would make him feel while Lyanna thought on a totally different line.

 _ **Qhorin orders**_ _ **Jon Snow**_ _ **to execute her while the rest of them continue on up the mountain. Jon hesitates, giving Ygritte enough time to make a run for it. Jon pursues and captures Ygritte, but they have become separated from Qhorin's scouting party. With darkness falling, Jon and his prisoner have to settle in for the night, hoping to link back up with Qhorin when daylight returns. In**_ _ **Qarth**_ _ **,**_ _ **Daenerys Targaryen**_ _ **tries to negotiate with the**_ _ **Spice King**_ _ **for ships to return to**_ _ **Westeros**_ _ **. However, he considers it to be too risky an investment – considering that she has no army and has no open supporters in Westeros – and she receives nothing. Returning with**_ _ **Xaro Xhoan Daxos**_ _ **to his mansion, Daenerys finds her guards dead,**_ _ **Irri**_ _ **strangled to death, and her**_ _ **dragons**_ _ **missing. A hooded figure carries the dragons in a covered box up steps towards a tower.**_

"My dragons!" Danaerys hissed in anger. "How dare he" she growls and gets up. Rhaegar pulls his sister down and puts a hand on her shoulder, "calm down sister. It has not happened yet and you should think of how you can stop this with a calm mind. Take it as a lesson for how you should handle any situation" he said. Danaerys looked at her brother, her eyes still showing anger but she nodded and tried to settle down. Her brother was right, she needed a clear head for this.


	19. 2-7

_**At**_ _ **Winterfell**_ _ **, now held by the**_ _ **ironborn**_ _ **,**_ _ **Theon Greyjoy**_ _ **awakens to find that**_ _ **Osha**_ _ **is gone and she has escaped with**_ _ **Hodor**_ _ **,**_ _ **Bran Stark**_ _ **,**_ _ **Rickon Stark**_ _ **and their**_ _ **direwolves**_ _ **. Theon berates**_ _ **Lorren**_ _ **for allowing them to escape. When Lorren counters that Theon is also to blame for sleeping with Osha and letting his guard down, Theon furiously beats him.**_

"Bloody idiot" Ned growled under his breath. Rob looked critically at the screen, looking for some way to redeem his longtime friend.

 _ **Theon leads the ironborn on horseback to hunt down the boys with hounds to track them. The search leads them to a shepherd's farm, but the farmer says that he hasn't seen anyone. Dagmer finds some walnut shells, so they know that Bran and Rickon were there, but the hounds can't get the scent. Theon tells them the hunt is over and to return**_ _ **Maester**_ __ _ **Luwin**_ _ **to Winterfell: he knows where they are, and his mercy has been exhausted.**_

"Mercy" Jon said in disgust, "he was at father's mercy all his life and he betrays him like this" he seethed. "Jon" came the stern voice of Catelyn which shocked Jon out of his musing. "He will surely be dealt with once we retuen" she said kindly which again shocked Jon, having never heard such a tone from the lady before.

 _ **Theon returns to Winterfell with two children's bodies burned beyond recognition, and he has them hoisted to either side of the main gate. Maester Luwin cries out in grief when he sees them.**_

"That isn't them" Sansa said instantly. "Yeah! They aren't my brothers. That stupid Theon killed some other children" Arya added in her support as Bran shook slightly beside his mother.

 _ **At**_ _ **Harrenhal**_ _ **,**_ _ **Tywin Lannister**_ _ **is discussing the assassination of**_ _ **Amory Lorch**_ _ **with Ser**_ _ **Gregor Clegane**_ _ **. Tywin is convinced that it was an assassination attempt on himself, unaware that**_ _ **Jaqen H'ghar**_ _ **actually killed Lorch on the request of**_ _ **Arya Stark**_ _ **. Ser Gregor speculates that the**_ _ **Brotherhood Without Banners**_ _ **may have been responsible. Enraged, Tywin orders Gregor to burn out villages and farms in reprisal for this assassination attempt.**_

"TYwin!" roared Robert. "Yes my king. It would seem my temper got the best of me. O shall make sure never to do any such thing in the future" Tywin said in a defeated tone, not really up for an argument. Robert looked back at the screen with one last furious glance at Tywin. But Tyrion kept his eyes on his father, sipping his wine quietly.

 _ **Tywin later suspects that Arya is highborn, because she doesn't pronounce "m'lord" the way commoners do and says "my lord" instead, possessing an educated vocabulary. Arya makes the excuse that her mother, whom she said was a handmaiden for years to royalty, had taught her to speak properly like them.**_

"Good story" Lyanna nodded with a soft smile at the young Arya who grinned back at her.

 _ **In**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **,**_ _ **Sansa Stark**_ _ **comes to thank**_ _ **Sandor "The Hound" Clegane**_ _ **for saving her life during**_ _ **the recent riot**_ _ **in the city and says that he was very brave. Sandor simply says that a dog doesn't need courage to fight off rats. Sansa is perturbed by his "hateful speech," but Sandor cautions that a day will come when his penchant for violence is all that stands between her and her "beloved" King**_ _ **Joffrey**_ _ **.**_

"Beloved? Not anymore! I never want to see his face again!" fumed Sansa. "Don't worry girl, I'll make sure no one ever sees his face again" Robert said darkly.

 _ **Sansa awakens in her bed from a nightmare, only to find the sheets covered in blood because she has had her**_ _ **first period**_ _ **. As she will be expected to marry and conceive a son with Joffrey when she begins menstruating, Sansa panics and frantically tries to get rid of the bloody sheets to remove the evidence.**_ _ **Shae**_ _ **tries to help Sansa hide the sheets but Sandor finds them. Terrified of being brought to Joffrey, Sansa is instead brought before Queen Regent**_ _ **Cersei Lannister**_ _ **, who in her own way tries to comfort her. Cersei reveals that King**_ _ **Robert Baratheon**_ _ **had abandoned her to hunt as she birthed each of her children, but that her brother**_ _ **Jaime Lannister**_ _ **insisted on being by her side the whole time, noting that Sansa should never expect such devotion from Joffrey. Cersei says that while Sansa will never love Joffrey, she will love their children and advises Sansa to love no one but her children, whom a mother can't help love, because "the more people you love, the weaker you are." When Sansa asks if she should not love Joffrey, Cersei only answers, "You can try, little dove."**_

"That was" Catelyn began. "Not a bad piece of advice. With a twisted logic but not bad" Lyanna muttered a finish to her sister in laws words.

 _ **Privately, Cersei meets with Tyrion and expresses regret at having children with her own brother Jaime.**_

Jaime blinked in surprise as did Tyrion because Cersei had come to him.

 _ **She wonders if Joffrey's violent personality is the price of her and Jaime's sins. Tyrion earnestly points out that her other two children,**_ _ **Myrcella**_ _ **and**_ _ **Tommen**_ _ **, are good and decent children. Cersei and Tyrion share an odd moment of sympathy.**_

Tyrion sipped his drink in silence. Myrcella and Tommen aren't bad kids and have nice characters to them, unlike the first born bastard. Maybe he should look out for his sister more as a support, since she looks to be left alone with her thoughts a lot. That is if Robert doesn't have her beheaded.

 _ **At King**_ _ **Robb Stark**_ _ **'s army camp in**_ _ **the Westerlands**_ _ **, close to an unidentified keep,**_ _ **Alton Lannister**_ _ **returns as an envoy giving**_ _ **Queen Cersei's response**_ _ **to Robb's peace terms. Robb is unsurprised that she rejected them and imprisons Alton with his cousin**_ _ **Jaime Lannister**_ _ **. The nurse**_ _ **Talisa Maegyr**_ _ **discusses medical supplies she needs with Robb. Robb suggests she accompany him to**_ _ **the Crag**_ _ **to acquire the supplies she needs. That night, Jaime kills Alton to lure the guard,**_ _ **Torrhen Karstark**_ _ **, into his cell. Jaime strangles Torrhen and escapes but is soon recaptured. Torrhen was the son of Lord**_ _ **Rickard Karstark**_ _ **, one of the major nobles from the North. Lord Rickard demands Jaime's execution in revenge, regardless of his protected status as both a prisoner of war and a valuable political hostage.**_ _ **Catelyn**_ _ **is forced to argue for Jaime's life. Catelyn confronts Jaime and tells him that he has no honor. Jaime bitterly explains that his vows as a knight required him to defend the innocent and serve the king, but**_ _ **his king**_ _ **was slaughtering the innocent. Jaime considers concepts like "honor" and "loyalty" naïve at best and hypocritical at worst.**_

Ned hums in disapproval at Jaime's words but could understand where he was coming from.

 _ **Jaime asserts that he has only been with Cersei and begins to ridicule**_ _ **Eddard Stark**_ _ **, Catelyn's late husband, by bringing up the shame of Eddard fathering an illegitimate child with another woman.**_

Jaime lowered his head in shame at his actions while Catelyn and Ned both had steely looks. But for other reasons the one Jaime had said. After all, they knew truth and what it meant.

 _ **This brings Catelyn to breaking point and she asks for**_ _ **Brienne**_ _ **'s sword.**_ _ **Jon Snow**_ _ **is still separated from the**_ _ **Night's Watch**_ _ **scouting group led by**_ _ **Qhorin Halfhand**_ _ **. He attempts to locate them, traveling with his**_ _ **wildling**_ _ **prisoner**_ _ **Ygritte**_ _ **. She and Jon argue about freedom, his oaths, and who is invading whose lands.**_

Jon hummed under his breath listening to her words.

 _ **Jon tells Ygritte his father was Ned Stark and as Northman, he has the blood of the**_ _ **First Men**_ _ **just like she does, to which Ygritte asks Jon why the Watch fights the wildlings then. She states that the animosity of the southerners toward the Wildlings is arbitrary, given that the Wildlings are only distinguished from them by living north of the Wall when it was constructed.**_

"When it was constructed she says?" Tyrion pointed out. "Long time ago before the wall was constructed, we all lived together. A few of us were sent north of the wall after its construction to make sure the white walkers were kept at bay, which the wall was built as a last defense for" Mance explained gruffly which sent the lords and ladies into deep thought.

 _ **She mocks Jon's sexual inexperience, surmising that he is a virgin. She taunts him by offering to teach him how to have sex.**_

Jon blushes and looks down, not daring to look up at anyone, especially his half-brother Robb who was sure to tease him for this.

 _ **She escapes and leads him into an ambush. Ygritte says that Jon should have taken her when he had the chance.**_

And just like that Jon groaned at his own stupidity. Of course the wildling would do this to get him captured.

 _ **Daenerys Targaryen**_ _ **is desperate to find her stolen**_ _ **dragons**_ _ **. Ser**_ _ **Jorah Mormont**_ _ **returns and she orders him to find them.**_ _ **Xaro Xhoan Daxos**_ _ **claims to be distressed at breaking his promise to protect her, fearing that his word will be publicly seen as worthless. Jorah questions**_ _ **Quaithe**_ _ **of**_ _ **Asshai**_ _ **. Quaithe knows that Jorah once betrayed Daenerys by spying on her.**_

Dany's eyes widened in shock. She would have never thought that Jorah would do something like this. Jeor sighed, his son was making all the decisions he could to be granted a pardon it seems.

 _ **Quaithe warns Jorah that the man who stole the dragons is already with Daenerys. Jorah finds Daenerys, in the company of**_ _ **Kovarro**_ _ **, pleading with the council of**_ _ **The Thirteen**_ _ **to find her dragons. The**_ _ **warlock**_ __ _ **Pyat Pree**_ _ **confesses to stealing the dragons and declares Xaro the King of Qarth. Doubles of the warlock then magically appear behind the other members of the Thirteen and slit their throats, leaving only Pyat Pree and Xaro. Xaro secretly entered into an alliance with Pyat Pree to become king. Pyat Pree urges Daenerys to find her dragons at the**_ _ **House of the Undying**_ _ **as the three flee.**_

"That bastard" Dany fumed. "I believe you will see that he gets his punishment" Rhaegar said coldly and Dany nodded her head as a promise.


	20. 2-8

_**Ygritte**_ _ **brings**_ _ **Jon Snow**_ _ **before the**_ _ **Lord of Bones**_ _ **, who orders him executed, because he has already captured**_ _ **Qhorin Halfhand**_ _ **and doesn't need two "crows" for questioning. Ygritte convinces him to spare Jon because of his Stark blood. Qhorin initiates a plan to install Jon as a spy within the**_ _ **wildling**_ _ **ranks.**_

"That is a good plan. Get someone into the enemy ranks to spy in on what they are doing" Tywin mused.

 _ **Grenn**_ _ **and**_ _ **Samwell Tarly**_ _ **discover a cache of**_ _ **dragonglass**_ _ **weapons at the**_ _ **Fist of the First Men**_ _ **. Jon's absence has been noted, but Sam refuses to believe that he is dead.**_

"He's a good friend" Arya said with a smile. "Aye" Jon smiled, feeling himself quite lucky to have made a friend like Samwell. "Did you see all those weapons?" Robert looked to Ned who nodded. "Aye. That must be one of the places where the wildlings or the Night's Watch fought the others" he mumbled.

 _ **Ser**_ _ **Jorah Mormont**_ _ **advises**_ _ **Daenerys Targaryen**_ _ **to leave her dragons and flee**_ _ **Qarth**_ _ **, as he has recently booked passage to**_ _ **Astapor**_ _ **. She insists on attempting to reclaim them and asks Ser Jorah to lead her to the**_ _ **House of the Undying**_ _ **, without knowing what lies in wait.**_

"I must commend your bravery. But is it worth it? To get yourself killed in the process? Even if they are dragons" Jeor asked. Dany looked to the aged man and nodded instantly, "they are more than deagons. They are my children. I will hatch them and I will see them grow" she explained calmly, remembering the memory of seeing herself from the point of view of her future self who was in this room how she would never be able to bear children. The women in the room understood what she meant, they would never be able to leave or live without their children.

 _ **Yara Greyjoy**_ _ **arrives at**_ _ **Winterfell**_ _ **with a small band of**_ _ **men**_ _ **, but instead of bringing reinforcements she offers**_ _ **Theon**_ _ **only advice. Winterfell is too far from the sea, they can't successfully defend it with so few soldiers, and the North is rising against him. She implores Theon to abandon the castle and return home with her, but he refuses to give up his prize.**_ _ **Dagmer**_ _ **tells Theon that after killing the orphans, he also murdered**_ _ **the farmer**_ _ **and his wife.**_

"That fool" Robb hissed. "We know he is a fool. You don't need to remind us continuously" Jon said. Robb turned to Jon to retort but his words got stuck in his throat seeing the look of pure anger on Jon's face.

 _ **Luwin**_ _ **spots**_ _ **Osha**_ _ **sneaking into the catacombs. He follows her inside, and she explains that after reaching the farm she doubled back, using a stream to mask their scent from the hounds. Luwin urges her not to tell**_ _ **Bran**_ _ **and**_ _ **Rickon**_ _ **about the children Theon had murdered, but Bran is sitting up behind a corner and listening to them.**_

Catelyn sighed and hugged her son close. He was too young for this, all her children were too young for what was happening to them.

 _ **Stannis Baratheon**_ _ **'s fleet is closing in on**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **. Stannis tells**_ _ **Davos**_ _ **that he admires him and offers him the**_ _ **Hand of the King**_ _ **role once he takes the throne.**_ _ **Tyrion Lannister**_ _ **scours history books seeking inspiration for his plans to defend the city. He takes advice from**_ _ **Bronn**_ _ **and**_ _ **Varys**_ _ **and implies that he has decided to make use of the stocks of**_ _ **wildfire**_ _ **. King**_ _ **Joffrey Baratheon**_ _ **is full of bravado, but his**_ _ **mother**_ _ **is worried about letting him fight. She tries to ensure his safety by kidnapping the**_ _ **prostitute**_ __ _ **Ros**_ _ **, believing that she is Tyrion's lover, to hold as collateral. Tyrion hides his relief that**_ _ **Shae**_ _ **is safe and ardently vows revenge against his sister.**_

"You brother are a good liar" Jaime said with a shake of his head. "Years of practice brother" Tyrion lifted his chalice slightly and drank.

 _ **Lord**_ _ **Tywin Lannister**_ _ **is torn between needing to defend**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **and wanting to drive King**_ _ **Robb Stark**_ _ **from**_ _ **the Westerlands**_ _ **. His brother**_ _ **Kevan**_ _ **warns that Stannis will execute Cersei and Joffrey after capturing the capital.**_

"You should let him" Robert growled. Tywin said nothing but he secretly agreed with the king.

 _ **Tywin decides to march west, leaving**_ _ **Arya Stark**_ _ **at**_ _ **Harrenhal**_ _ **to serve his castellan, Ser**_ _ **Gregor Clegane**_ _ **. Realizing that she has missed her chance to kill Tywin, Arya pressures the assassin**_ _ **Jaqen H'ghar**_ _ **into aiding her escape from Harrenhal. She forces him to help her by giving him his own name as the third death he promised. She will only revoke his name when he agrees to break her and her friends out of the fortress. Arya,**_ _ **Hot Pie**_ _ **, and**_ _ **Gendry**_ _ **walk through the gates at midnight, as Jaqen instructed. They escape Harrenhal, realizing that the guards have been killed.**_

"Good girl" Ned said proudly ruffling his youngest daughter's hair. Arya closed her eyes and groaned at her father for messing her hair but she this show of affection from him.

 _ **Robb is furious when he learns that his mother**_ _ **Catelyn Stark**_ _ **has freed his prized captive Ser**_ _ **Jaime Lannister**_ _ **. He tells her that she has betrayed him and orders her kept under guard. Catelyn has sent**_ _ **Brienne of Tarth**_ _ **to escort Jaime to King's Landing to exchange him for her daughters,**_ _ **Sansa**_ _ **and**_ _ **Arya**_ _ **.**_

"Cersei wold never let them go" Tyrion said taking a sip from his chalice. Catelyn sighed, she knew the imp was right but she also could understand what her future self was feeling as she felt the same right now.

 _ **Brienne uses a canoe to evade pursuit. Robb plans to relieve Winterfell by turning Theon's men against him with an offer of mercy, issuing his orders to the**_ _ **bastard of the Dreadfort**_ _ **through**_ _ **Roose Bolton**_ _ **. Robb seeks solace in the arms of Lady**_ _ **Talisa Maegyr**_ _ **, ignoring his betrothal to**_ _ **House Frey**_ _ **.**_

Robb blinked a few times then blushed scarlet when his half-brother laughed and threw him meaningful glance with a smirk.


	21. 2-9

_**Tyrion Lannister**_ _ **leads the defense of**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **against an assault by King**_ _ **Stannis Baratheon**_ _ **in the**_ _ **Battle of the Blackwater**_ _ **.**_

"You'll do great brother" Jaime said encouragingly with a hand on his shoulders as Tyrion nodded, watching intently. Tywin glanced sideways at his son but otherwise didn't respond to what he heard.

 _ **He spends the night before the expected siege in bed with**_ _ **Shae**_ _ **, telling her she can still leave the city.**_

"Of course he does" Tywin shook his head. Tyrion was about to retort but then he noticed something. His father's voice did not have the same venom it always had and if he was not mistaking which he thought he was, he could see a bit of fondness in his father's words.

 _ **Tyrion has**_ _ **Varys**_ _ **provide him with a map of the tunnel network beneath the city. Varys tells Tyrion that he is all that stands between them and defeat.**_ _ **Bronn**_ _ **drinks with the Lannister men and has a confrontation with the Hound, who is here first. Stannis plans a naval assault aiming to overcome the city's small defensive fleet and land his troops at the walls of the city near the**_ _ **Mud Gate**_ _ **. From the battlements,**_ _ **Joffrey**_ _ **berates Tyrion, demanding to know why his ships are not meeting Stannis's fleet. Tyrion has anticipated his strategy and does not field his fleet. Instead he sends a single ship filled with**_ _ **Wildfire**_ _ **into the heart of Stannis's fleet, leaking the volatile substance over the surface of the water.**_

"Clever" Stannis admitted begrudgingly. "Indeed" Tywin said, clearly impressed by the plan.

 _ **Bronn**_ _ **has been awaiting Tyrion's signal outside the city on the shores of the bay, and when Tyrion tosses a torch from the battlements, Bronn fires a flaming arrow triggering a massive, massive aquatic explosion. The ensuing conflagration devastates Stannis's fleet and destroys the ship of his high captain,**_ _ **Davos Seaworth**_ _ **, as well as killing Davos's son,**_ _ **Matthos**_ _ **.**_

"Poor Davos" Stannis muttered and rubbed his face. Robert looked at his brother but said nothing more.

 _ **Stannis responds by putting his men ashore inside row boats, landing further from the walls to avoid the still burning inner bay. With less protection for his troops he predicts that thousands will die. He leads the assault personally and is the first to reach the walls. Tyrion orders**_ _ **Sandor Clegane**_ _ **to lead a sortie beyond the Mud Gate to repel the attackers. Sandor does as asked but is terrified by the fire and breaks down emotionally. Ser**_ _ **Lancel Lannister**_ _ **accompanies him and is wounded by an arrow. Bronn joins the fight in time to save the Hound's life. The Hound retreats after losing half of his men and refuses to go out again. He demands wine and walks away from the battle and his place in the Kingsguard, after saying in the presence of all, including the king, "Fuck the kings guard. Fuck the city. Fuck the king."**_

"Well I agree. Fuck the king" Tyrion raised his chalice and drank its contents. Robert snorted and took a swig of his own.

 _ **Queen Regent**_ _ **Cersei Lannister**_ _ **offers protection to the ladies of the court in**_ _ **Maegor's Holdfast**_ _ **. She was gifted previously**_ _ **Essence of Nightshade**_ _ **by**_ _ **Grand Maester**_ __ _ **Pycelle**_ _ **and keeps the headsman Ser**_ _ **Ilyn Payne**_ _ **at her side at all times, preparing for the worst. She drinks wine heavily during the assault and seems to simultaneously torment and mother her captive,**_ _ **Sansa Stark**_ _ **, with matter-of-fact descriptions of the rapes that will occur if the city falls.**_

"She is just a child!" Catelyn gasped. "She needs to know this things. It is important. While I would have preferred the Septa to have informed her" Ned said calmly. Catelyn sighed knowing her husband was right.

 _ **She also begins to question Shae, who seems to her perhaps an unlikely handmaiden. When Lancel comes to tell her that Stannis has reached the walls Cersei orders him to bring Joffrey back to the**_ _ **Red Keep**_ _ **, ignoring his protests that it would damage morale.**_

"He is the king!" Robert thundered. "Does she have any idea what she is doing? Babying the bastard!" he growled. "Clearly not" Jaime said coldly, getting fed up of the stupid decisions his sister was making.

 _ **Joffrey willingly leaves the defensive line with Lancel and charges Ser**_ _ **Mandon Moore**_ _ **and Ser**_ _ **Boros Blount**_ _ **of the**_ _ **Kingsguard**_ _ **to fight in the King's name.**_

"Craven" the wildlings jeered.

 _ **The gold cloaks' morale is broken by his departure. Tyrion steels himself to lead a sortie of his own. He rallies his men by telling them to fight for their city, their homes and their women, if not for their king and utters his famous line, "Those are brave men knocking at our door. Let's go kill them!" He leads his men through the tunnels beneath the city and is able to defeat Stannis's troops manning a battering ram at the Mud Gate.**_

"Nice going brother!" Jaime grimed slapping him on the back. Tywin looked at his youngest who was now coughing quite hard, maybe the most like him was the one who looked the least like him.

 _ **Tyrion is betrayed by Ser Mandon while fighting against a group of reinforcements. Mandon attacks Tyron with the intent of killing him but misjudged the distance and only slashes Tyrion across the face with his sword. Before he can strike Tyrion again, Tyrion's squire**_ _ **Podrick Payne**_ _ **kills Ser Mandon from behind with his spear. Tyrion, barely conscious and held by Podrick watches a battle that seems lost before losing consciousnes.**_

"A gift from my sister" Tyrion growled. All the good things he had thought to do about her now gone completely.

 _ **Lancel returns to Cersei to warn that they are defeated unless Joffrey returns. When Lancel tries to be firm with her, Cersei ignores his counsel, pushes him out of the way, and storms out. Sansa tries to keep up the morale of the other women, frightened by Cersei's sudden departure. Sansa leads the sheltered noblewomen in singing a hymn. Cersei has taken**_ _ **Tommen**_ _ **to the throne room. She sits with him on the**_ _ **Iron Throne**_ _ **, and tells him a story about a young lion and how he did not need to fear other beasts of the forest, the wolf and the stag. As she does this, she readies the poison for herself and for her son.**_

"The woman is mad I tell you" Robert growled. "She doesn't want to be taken prisoner" Lyanna pointed out. "I would have killed her yes. But her children were of no harm to me so they would have been pardoned. Except maybe Joffrey" Stannis explained quietly.

 _ **Shae tells Sansa to go to her chambers, lock herself in, and await Stannis, as he would not harm her but Ser Ilyn might. Sansa finds the Hound waiting in her room. He offers to take her north to**_ _ **Winterfell**_ _ **, but she says she will be safe there when Stannis takes the throne.**_

"Smart child" Tywin thought. He knew well enough that Bolton would take any measure he needed to get the North under him. Any way necessary.

 _ **The Hound scares Sansa, but tells her to look at him, saying that since the world is made up of killers like Stannis, her father, her brother**_ _ **Robb**_ _ **, and he himself, she better get used to looking at them. Though he promises to protect her, she is still too afraid of him to go with him.**_

"He is a good man" Tyrion said and sipped his wine. "You can rely on him" he explained when the Stark's looked at him.

 _ **The forces of**_ _ **Tywin Lannister**_ _ **and his new allies in**_ _ **House Tyrell**_ _ **join the battle. Their cavalry charge is led by a warrior dressed in the armor of**_ _ **Renly Baratheon**_ _ **and he decimates Stannis's army. The survivors flee to their ships. Stannis is dragged from the battle by his guards, screaming for his men to stand and fight. Tyrion collapses into unconsciousness as the battle turns in the Crown's favor. Tywin bursts into the throne room and announces their victory, just in time to stop Cersei from killing Tommen. Ser**_ _ **Loras Tyrell**_ _ **reveals himself as the knight wearing Renly's armor.**_

"Guess the High Gardens are with us" Tywin mused.


	22. 2-10

_**In new, shabby quarters,**_ _ **Tyrion Lannister**_ _ **convalesces from the wound he suffered during the**_ _ **Battle of the Blackwater**_ _ **at the hands of**_ _ **Ser**_ __ _ **Mandon Moore**_ _ **.**_

"Well I lived" Tyrion drank to that. "You just need an excuse to drink don't you?" Jaime rolled his eyes. "An excuse? You kn`ow me so little" Tyrion chuckled.

 _ **He is informed by a gloating**_ _ **Grand Maester**_ __ _ **Pycelle**_ _ **that he is no longer Acting**_ _ **Hand of the King**_ _ **, as his father**_ _ **Tywin Lannister**_ _ **has returned to the city and will take over his duties as Hand.**_ _ **Varys**_ _ **visits and tells him that**_ _ **Bronn**_ _ **has been relieved of his command of the gold cloaks and his hill tribesmen have gone home with their plunder; Tyrion has lost all of his power. Varys thanks Tyrion for his part in defending the city, noting that no one else will do so.**_ _ **Shae**_ _ **urges Tyrion to leave with her for**_ _ **Pentos**_ _ **, but he refuses. King**_ _ **Joffrey**_ _ **rewards those who served him well in the battle.**_

"The craven rewards others for bravery" Tormund snorts, "this has to be a joke".

 _ **Lord Tywin Lannister is officially named Hand of the King and Savior of the City.**_ _ **Littlefinger**_ _ **is awarded**_ _ **Harrenhal**_ _ **for brokering the alliance between Houses Lannister and Tyrell.**_

Catelyn narrows her eyes dangerously.

 _ **Loras Tyrell**_ _ **asks that Joffrey wed his sister**_ _ **Margaery**_ _ **to unite their houses. Queen**_ _ **Cersei Lannister**_ _ **and Pycelle make a show of convincing Joffrey to set aside his**_ _ **betrothal**_ _ **to**_ _ **Sansa Stark**_ _ **, given the treachery of**_ _ **House Stark**_ _ **. Joffrey plays along and agrees to wed Margaery.**_

"Oh thank the gods I don't have to marry that bastard" Sansa sighed in relief. "Finally coming to your senses sister?" Arya asked with a smirk. Sansa looked at her youngest sister and just huffed.

 _ **In private, Sansa is overjoyed to be free, until Littlefinger points out that it will not stop Joffrey from tormenting her; however, he does assure her that he will help her escape, for the sake of her mother.**_

"I don't like the sound of that" Jon mumbled. "That I am going to get freed?" Sansa asked with a hint of anger. "No not that. This Littlefinger helping you for no gain of his own. He isn't one to do that" Jon explained. "Well he is doing it for mother so you don't have to worry" she huffed and looked away. Jon sighed and looked at his father and Lady Stark who were looking like they agreed with him.

 _ **Following his defeat at the Blackwater,**_ _ **Stannis Baratheon**_ _ **has retreated back to**_ _ **Dragonstone**_ _ **. He rages at**_ _ **Melisandre**_ _ **for not foreseeing his defeat, despite her claims to see the future. Melisandre insists that the**_ _ **Lord of Light**_ _ **only allows her glimpses and that Stannis cannot abandon the war because of a single defeat. Stannis accuses her of lying to him, of knowing nothing about war and angrily begins to strangle her.**_

"Yes kill her" Stannis prayed to himself. He had thing feeling in his gut that the woman would only cause him all sorts of pain and suffering in the coming future.

 _ **When Melisandre insists her god is in him, Stannis releases her, realizing she is talking about the**_ _ **creature**_ _ **they created to murder**_ _ **his brother**_ _ **. Melisandre tells Stannis he will betray his men, his family and his beliefs but in the end, it will be worth it; she assures Stannis that he is the**_ _ **Lord's Chosen**_ _ **and he will be king. Stannis is skeptical, but Melisandre has him look into a brazier; Stannis appears to have visions, restoring his faith in the**_ _ **Red Priestess**_ _ **.**_

"Bullshit" Robert growled at his brother. "I agree" Stannis said with a nod. He probably saw what he wanted to see in the fire due to his state of mind at that time.

 _ **In**_ _ **the Westerlands**_ _ **, King**_ _ **Robb Stark**_ _ **speaks with his mother**_ _ **Lady Catelyn**_ _ **regarding his love affair with the woman**_ _ **Talisa**_ _ **.**_

Jon throw Robb another grin who did not look at him. But his cheeks were tinged pink.

 _ **Catelyn urges Robb to remember his vow to wed a daughter of**_ _ **House Frey**_ _ **, or face severe consequences. She says that she and**_ _ **Robb's father**_ _ **didn't love each other when they first married, but that he grew to love her over time. She predicts that Robb and his betrothed might build a similar love over time.**_

"You and Ned are a totally different matter. You two actually are good people. The same can't be said for the Frey's whose head is a Craven and opportunist" Lyanna said firmly. She hoped her son, nephews and nieces did not fall into the same trap she did with Robert.

 _ **Robb disregards her advice and marries Talisa in private that night. Traveling east to**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **,**_ _ **Brienne of Tarth**_ _ **and**_ _ **Jaime Lannister**_ _ **come upon the bodies of three women, hanged by Stark soldiers for having slept with Lannister soldiers.**_

Ned's eyes widened in horror. "How dare they!?" Robb said through gritted teeth. "Once we are back, I would need to have a talk about what is ok and what is not" thought Ned.

 _ **When the men return, the pair try to lie their way out of the situation. Jaime is recognized and Brienne chose to kill the soldiers. In so doing she reveals her prowess as a fighter to Jaime. When Jaime reminds her that she killed Stark men, Brienne responds that she does not serve House Stark, but**_ _ **Catelyn Stark**_ _ **.**_

"Isn't that the same thing?" Arya asked. "No. She is only loyal to your mother and would not answer to anyone she hasn't told her to" Rhaegar explained with a smile which Arya returned. "He smiles like Jon" Arya mused to herself.

 _ **In**_ _ **Winterfell**_ _ **,**_ _ **Theon Greyjoy**_ _ **is besieged by a northern army under command of**_ _ **Roose Bolton's bastard son**_ _ **.**_ _ **Maester**_ __ _ **Luwin**_ _ **tells Theon his chances of holding the castle with only twenty men are negligible. Luwin suggests that Theon join the**_ _ **Night's Watch**_ _ **, gaining a chance to redeem himself. When Theon refuses and tries to rally his men for battle, they betray him;**_ _ **Dagmer**_ _ **knocks Theon out. When Luwin tries to intervene, Dagmer stabs him with a spear.**_

"Maeser Luwin" Catelyn said biting her lips as the Stark girls got teary eyed. "I will kill that awful man!" Arya hissed in anger and was about to jump out of her seat Jon spoke. "We'll stop this" he said warmly and shared a look with the little girl who calmed slightly.

 _ **The ironmen place a bag on Theon and depart Winterfell to deliver him to the Bolton army. Sometime later,**_ _ **Bran**_ _ **,**_ _ **Rickon**_ _ **,**_ _ **Osha**_ _ **and**_ _ **Hodor**_ _ **emerge from their hiding place in Winterfell's crypts and find the castle burning. They discover the dying Luwin in the**_ _ **godswood**_ _ **. He insists that the boys must go north to**_ _ **the Wall**_ _ **, as there are too many enemies in the south and Jon will be able to keep them safe and tell their mother of their survival. Luwin affirms his pride at having served the Starks before asking Osha to give him a quick death.**_

Ned closes his eyes. Luwin was a good man and he has served him well. He would do everything to prevent his downfall. Lyanna looked sadly at the screen, Luwin had been there since she was a child herself and could remember her times with the elderly man.

 _ **Traveling away from**_ _ **Harrenhal**_ _ **,**_ _ **Arya**_ _ **,**_ _ **Gendry**_ _ **and**_ _ **Hot Pie**_ _ **cross paths with**_ _ **Jaqen H'ghar**_ _ **, who has been waiting for them. He offers to take Arya with him to**_ _ **Braavos**_ _ **, where she can learn his skills of killing and find a way to kill those on her list.**_

Catelyn narrowed her eyes. So this is where things change for Arya.

 _ **She declines, wanting to be reunited with her family. Jaqen gives her an iron coin and the words "Valar Morghulis," telling her to speak them to any man from Braavos should she ever need to find him again. Jaqen bids Arya farewell, using her real name, and departs,**_ _ **changing his face to that of a different man**_ _ **as he leaves.**_

"How did he do that?" Arya asked in wonder. "They are assassins. They have many faces. Makes their jobs easy" Jon explained. "How do you know that?" Ned asked alarmed, never having told his children about the faceless men. "I read about them" Jon shrugged.

 _ **Daenerys Targaryen**_ _ **arrives at**_ _ **House of the Undying**_ _ **and is magically separated from**_ _ **Jorah**_ _ **and**_ _ **Kovarro**_ _ **. She finds herself in an empty circular room with many doors. She chooses one and opens it. She is presented with tempting visions. First the snowy, ruined throne room of King's Landing where she turns away from the**_ _ **Iron Throne**_ _ **. She then walks through the gates of the Wall surrounded by more snow, and into**_ _ **Drogo**_ _ **'s tent. She finds Drogo and what would have been her infant son**_ _ **Rhaego**_ _ **.**_

Dany smiled sadly with a hand over her womb. For her, the kid was never conceived or lost but she remembers what the other her saw in the memories. She did not want to lose the child. She looked away when Rhaegar put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

 _ **They talk about whose dream they are in, and Daenerys silently leaves after touching Rhaego's hair. She returns to the room with many doors and finds her**_ _ **dragons**_ _ **chained to a pedestal in front of her.**_ _ **Pyat Pree**_ _ **appears and explains that she and her brood are the source of his restored magic. Daenerys is also chained by Pyat's magic. The young queen is unconcerned however, and simply regards Pree with a cool, almost lazy gaze. She calmly utters a single word: "**_ _ **Dracarys**_ _ **"; after a couple of tries, all three dragons unleash their fiery breath, and Pyat Pree is incinerated.**_

"That was awesome" Arya said in awe. Dany looked at the young girl with a soft smile on her face, "it was" she nodded softly. Arya looked at the blonde woman and grinned toothily.

 _ **Daenerys knows that**_ _ **Xaro**_ _ **has betrayed her. She returns to his palace to confront him and finds**_ _ **Doreah**_ _ **in bed with him. She takes his key and uses it to open his Valyrian stone vault. She is surprised when it is empty, but observes that this proves something can easily come from nothing. On her orders, Doreah and Xaro are locked into the empty vault to die, their pleas cut off by the closing door.**_

"Harsh" Robb whispered. "Fitting punishment for betrayal" Jon mumbled under his breath.

 _ **Daenerys salvages enough from Xaro's household to buy a ship. On Jorah's orders, the Dothraki seize Xaro's gold and jewels while Daenerys triumphantly watches with her three dragons.**_ _ **Jon Snow**_ _ **and**_ _ **Qhorin Halfhand**_ _ **are marched towards the camp of the**_ _ **King-Beyond-the-Wall**_ _ **,**_ _ **Mance Rayder**_ _ **, as captives of the**_ _ **Lord of Bones**_ _ **. Qhorin realizes that he will have to sacrifice himself in order to facilitate the ruse of Jon deserting to the wildlings, so he stuns one of his captors and acquires a sword, attacking Jon with the seeming intention of killing him for treachery. The Lord of Bones lets them fight, and**_ _ **Ygritte**_ _ **gives Jon back his sword. Qhorin enrages Jon by insulting his parentage.**_

Ned, Lyanna and Rhaegar winced slightly while Jon fisted his hands.

 _ **After a fierce duel, Jon mortally wounds Qhorin per Qhorin's own instructions, who whispers to Jon "We are the watchers on the Wall" before he breathes his last, signalling to him that he has done the right thing and reminding Jon that he must find out all he can about the wildlings' plans and get back to the Wall. By his killing Qhorin, the wildlings believe Jon has betrayed his oath and release him. Impressed, the Lord of Bones cuts Jon free. Ygritte shows him their vast army, gathering in a valley below. She promises to take him to their King and, with no other choice, Jon follows her.**_

"Things will only get more dangerous from here on out for you boy" Robert grunted softly. Jon nodded his head slightly. Lyanna and Rhaegar both shared a look with each other and looked at their son with worry.

 _ **At the**_ _ **Fist of the First Men**_ _ **,**_ _ **Sam**_ _ **,**_ _ **Grenn**_ _ **and**_ _ **Edd**_ _ **are foraging for fuel when they hear three horn blasts; the warning call for**_ _ **White Walkers**_ _ **. The three run back to the Fist. Sam is left behind, caught in a sudden blizzard. Seeing shadowy figures moving through the blowing snow, Sam hides behind a rock and watches as dozens of**_ _ **Wights**_ _ **walk past him, led by a**_ _ **White Walker**_ _ **riding an undead horse-wight. Sam cowers in fear, but the White Walker seemingly ignores him. Raising a spear with a blade of ice, the creature gives a piercing shriek, and the army of wights and White Walkers, numbering several hundred, advances on the Fist.**_

"That's ooh my gods! That's not possible" Tywin gaped uncharacteristically. "Well father the dead join them and guess how much there has been on that side of the wall for centuries" Tyrion said referring to the wars between the watchers of the wall and the freefolks. Both Jeor and Mance watched solemnly, already planning on how they could stop this.


	23. 3-1

Before the next scene started, there was a bright flash of light and four people appeared out of nowhere. "Lady Olenna" Tywin stood and greeted the elderly woman. "Lord Lannister" she gave him a polite nod. "Where are we? Why are we here?" the red headed girl said aggressively. "Ygritte. Calm down" Mance said slowly as he stepped forward. The four newcomers, Lady Olenna, Lady Margaery, Samwell Tarly and Ygritte were filled in about where they were and why they were here. "So the future to overcome a threat?" Ygritte said to make sure. Mace nodded his head and the four settled in. The Tyrell women sat on the other side of Tyrion while Samwell sat with Jeor. Ygritte joined her elders and the show began again.

 _ **In a prologue scene, shouts and sword clashes are heard in the darkness as the**_ _ **White Walkers**_ _ **and their army of undead**_ _ **wights**_ _ **attack the men of the**_ _ **Night's Watch**_ _ **off-screen in the**_ _ **Battle of the Fist of the First Men**_ _ **.**_

"Being told was one thing" Sam muttered, his heart thumping in his chest. "It'll be okay" Jon said firmly with a smile. Sam looked at the boy and nodded softly, he felt or more like knew he could trust this guy.

 _ **Samwell Tarly**_ _ **is then seen wandering through a blizzard in search of safety. He sees another man of the Night's Watch up ahead but soon finds that he has been decapitated and his head placed in his own hands. Just then, a wight approaches Sam and is about to attack him with an axe when the**_ _ **direwolf**_ __ _ **Ghost**_ _ **knocks it down. Ghost continues to tear at its legs as it pulls itself forward inch by inch towards Sam. The wight suddenly burst into flame, destroyed by a torch wielded by Lord Commander**_ _ **Jeor Mormont**_ _ **, killing it.**_

"Thank you Lord Commander" Sam said with a nervous bow. "You are a man of mine. It is my duty to protect my men" Jeor said gruffly but with a soft smile on his face.

 _ **Mormont has managed to rally the few dozen survivors out of his original three hundred men at the**_ _ **Fist of the First Men**_ _ **. Mormont is angry that Sam wasn't able to send off any messenger-**_ _ **ravens**_ _ **in the confusion of the attack. Mormont announces that they must retreat back to**_ _ **the Wall**_ _ **, not simply to save their own lives but because**_ _ **Castle Black**_ _ **and the rest of Westeros must be warned of the coming threat―otherwise everyone they've ever known will die. Meanwhile,**_ _ **Jon Snow**_ _ **is led by**_ _ **Ygritte**_ _ **and the**_ _ **Lord of Bones**_ _ **into the main**_ _ **wildling**_ _ **camp in the**_ _ **Frostfangs**_ _ **mountains.**_

Ygritte perked up at seeing herself. She spared a glance at the boy who was to be a prisoner of hers. He didn't look anything like those pompous southeners she was seeing here. Must be a Northener then.

 _ **It is not simply an army camp - almost all of wildling society is on the move to escape the White Walkers, including women and children. As they enter the camp, Jon is shocked to see a real-life**_ _ **giant**_ _ **walk past.**_

"They still exist?" Bran asked in awe. "Very few. One clam only" Ygritte said with a shrug.

 _ **Many of the wildlings are surprised to see Jon in his all-black Night's Watch clothing and shout "Crow!" at his approach. Several young boys pelt Jon with ice and small stones, but Ygritte shoos them away. Jon is led into the tent of**_ _ **King-Beyond-the-Wall**_ __ _ **Mance Rayder**_ _ **, where the Lord of Bones explains that he is**_ _ **Ned Stark**_ _ **'s bastard son to a large man with a heavy beard who is eating chicken by the fire. He says that he doesn't care, but his interest is piqued on hearing that Jon killed**_ _ **Qhorin Halfhand**_ _ **. As they talk, Jon kneels before the man, whom he assumes to be Mance Rayder, and calls him "Your Grace" as he would a king south of the Wall. All the wildlings to burst into laughter; their society does not bother with such ceremony–and because the man actually isn't Mance, but his lieutenant**_ _ **Tormund Giantsbane**_ _ **.**_

Tormund grunts in amusement and snorts before grinning.

 _ **Mance himself is an unassuming man sitting in a corner, who then introduces himself and tells Jon to stand, as no man kneels before another among the Free Folk, as they do not recognize a class of nobility in their culture.**_

"That is odd" Robert muttered. "We have clans and each clan has a head. The heads take decisions of the whole clan" Mance explained.

 _ **Mance says he is glad that Jon killed Qhorin, as he had killed many of Mance's wildlings, though he notes that Qhorin was his brother once, back when he was a member of the Night's Watch and Qhorin had a whole hand. Mance asks Jon why he wants to join them. He replies that he wants to be free, but Mance thinks he just wants to be a hero. Jon then explains that when the Night's Watch camped at**_ _ **Craster's Keep**_ _ **, he saw**_ _ **Craster**_ __ _ **leave his newborn son in the woods as an offering**_ _ **, and the inhuman creature that took it. Jon says that he wants to leave the Night's Watch because he is disgusted that Mormont already knew what Craster was doing but did nothing to stop it. Jon states that the**_ _ **First Men**_ _ **he is descended from defeated the White Walkers once during**_ _ **The Long Night**_ _ **, and that now he wants "to fight for the side who fights for the living." Mance is satisfied and advises Jon to get a new cloak.**_

"Nicely worded" Ned nodded proudly. "But it seems the young boy isn't lying there" Mance smirked. "Probably not. I too feel the same" Jeor sighed.

 _ **In**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **, King**_ _ **Joffrey Baratheon**_ _ **'s forces stand victorious after the**_ _ **Battle of the Blackwater**_ _ **.**_ _ **House Lannister**_ _ **'s new allies**_ _ **House Tyrell**_ _ **begin to settle into the capital.**_ _ **Tywin Lannister**_ _ **bluntly tells his son**_ _ **Tyrion**_ _ **that he intends to disinherit him.**_

"Why would you do that!?" Sansa gasped in horror. "Because he can" Tyrion muttered and drank. Tywin looked at his youngest and sighed.

 _ **This comes as a shock, because his older brother**_ _ **Jaime**_ _ **gave up all right to inherit his father's lands when he joined the**_ _ **Kingsguard**_ _ **, and Tyrion is rightfully the next in line of succession. For that matter, despite all evidence to the contrary, Tywin refuses to believe that Tyrion was in any way helpful in the defense of the city or during his months as acting**_ _ **Hand of the King**_ _ **. Instead, Tywin obstinately maintains his belief that Tyrion is a whore-mongering, drunken, "ill-made, spiteful little creature," and that he is lying about all of his accomplishments out of envy.**_

"You must be joking" Robert barked. "Do you not even know your boy!?" Robert looked at the lion lord with eyes as big as saucers. Tywin did not meet his eyes and just remained quiet.

 _ **Tywin is particularly insulted that Tyrion brought his mistress,**_ _ **Shae**_ _ **, to the capital when Tywin explicitly told him not to, which makes Tywin convince himself that Tyrion was in bed with Shae most of the time while events spiraled out of control. When Tyrion asks why his father is doing this, Tywin is shocked as if Tyrion insulted**_ _ **him**_ _ **, and says it should be obvious as Tyrion "killed" his mother**_ _ **Joanna**_ _ **in childbirth so that he might enter the world.**_

"That is preposterous" Catelyn fumed. Child birth is never an easy thing and most of the times the mother loses her life. But to blame the child for this was just disgusting.

 _ **Tywin says that the laws of men say he has to let Tyrion use his family name, but that he wishes he could prove Tyrion wasn't his son, so his very existence would not continue to make a mockery out of the name "Lannister" which he stole from Tywin. Tyrion fumes at the situation to his**_ _ **sellsword**_ __ _ **Bronn**_ _ **, who has recently been**_ _ **knighted**_ _ **as a reward for his service in the Battle of the Blackwater. He now styles himself as "Ser Bronn of the Blackwater," and while possessing no lands, wealth, or title, this drastically elevates his social standing–and in his mind, his pay. Meanwhile, Joffrey's ride back from the**_ _ **Great Sept of Baelor**_ _ **in a heavily guarded palanquin is interrupted when his betrothed, Lady**_ _ **Margaery Tyrell**_ _ **, stops the procession in**_ _ **Flea Bottom**_ _ **unexpectedly. Margaery shocks the guards and bewilders Joffrey by getting out and exploring, eventually arriving at an orphanage and interacting with the children.**_

"Why would this shock anyone?" Margaery asked. "Unlike you lady Margaery, Joffrey is not someone who would care for others and people would think his wife would be the same" Tyrion said as he drank. The lady nodded with a frown.

 _ **Meanwhile, her servants pass out bread and toys, earning her the love of Flea Bottom's**_ _ **smallfolk**_ _ **. That evening, Joffrey and Cersei visit Margaery and her brother**_ _ **Loras Tyrell**_ _ **for a small dinner party. Cersei admonishes Margaery's boldness and reminds her that her impromptu charity work took place on the same streets where the**_ _ **royal party was assaulted**_ _ **weeks earlier.**_

"She should be in support of this" Robert growled. "Do you think my sister could support anything but her own agenda?" Jaime said darkly. Robert looked at the kingslayer and sighed, the woman was just too selfish.

 _ **When Joffrey naively defends Margaery and criticizes his mother, Cersei realizes that she is on the verge of being outmaneuvered. Cersei only knows how to rule through fear, but Margaery knows how to win the love of the people she rules over, a skill Cersei lacks.**_ _ **Sansa Stark**_ _ **and**_ _ **Shae**_ _ **sit on the docks watching ships arrive and depart. Sansa wants to play a game making up stories about where the ships are headed, but Shae, in typical fashion, is uninterested.**_ _ **Petyr Baelish**_ _ **arrives to speak with Sansa. She displays an eagerness to leave as soon as possible. He suggests that when he next leaves the capital by sea, she might be able to stow away. Sansa advises him not to give her too many details since she is a terrible liar. Meanwhile,**_ _ **Ros**_ _ **, who seems to be acting as Littlefinger's aide, reminisces about the day Sansa was born, when all the bells in**_ _ **Winterfell**_ _ **were rung in celebration.**_

Catelyn smiled at the memory. It was a grand day, the birth of her daughter who had so much of the same looks as her.

 _ **She asks Shae to look out for Sansa, particularly in regards to Littlefinger.**_ _ **Davos Seaworth**_ _ **is rescued from the sea by**_ _ **Salladhor Saan**_ _ **after being thrown overboard by the**_ _ **wildfire**_ _ **blast in the battle. Forlorn over the death of his son**_ _ **Matthos**_ _ **, Davos feels that**_ _ **Melisandre**_ _ **has led Stannis to disaster, and is horrified to hear from Salladhor that she has begun to conduct human sacrifices.**_

"And you are allowing this!?" Robert turned to his brother with a deadly glare and growl. Stannis for his part stayed silent, face buried in his hands.

 _ **After the defeated remnant of Stannis' forces returned to the island, Melisandre ordered any who spoke out against her to be burned alive as offerings to the**_ _ **Lord of Light**_ _ **. Davos convinces Salladhor to bring him to Dragonstone. On**_ _ **Dragonstone**_ _ **, King**_ _ **Stannis Baratheon**_ _ **'s shattered forces regroup after being almost totally destroyed in the Battle of the Blackwater. Davos returns and finds Stannis despondent, sitting in the**_ _ **Chamber of the Painted Table**_ _ **alone with Melisandre. Davos openly calls Melisandre his enemy, condemns her for conducting human sacrifices, and says she is leading Stannis astray. She counters that it was Davos who urged Stannis not to bring her to the battle, and implies that it was actually Davos' fault that thousands of their men burned to death, including his own son. At the mention of his son Davos draws a knife on her in a fit of anger, but he is restrained by the guards, and Stannis orders him put in the dungeon.**_

"You have lost yourself brother and it's only you who is to be blamed" Robert growled and looked away.

 _ **In**_ _ **the Riverlands**_ _ **, the morale of King**_ _ **Robb Stark**_ _ **'s army is starting to wane. They have not had a significant victory since the**_ _ **Battle of Oxcross**_ _ **months ago, and the news of the Lannisters' victory over Stannis and new alliance with the Tyrells piles bad news upon bad news. Robb has won every battle he has ever fought, but the Lannisters finally realized it was too difficult to try to attack him head-on, so they have shifted to the new strategy of simply fleeing ahead of Robb's army. Robb's forces have won many small but also insignificant minor victories, as the Lannisters are now determined to simply wait Robb out and exhaust his army far from home while they slowly rebuild their own numbers and gain new allies. In frustration, Robb launches a new offensive to the east which takes the great castle of**_ _ **Harrenhal**_ _ **, which Tywin had been using it as the main Lannister forward base in the Riverlands during the first year of the war.**_

"That was a rash decision" Ned looked at his son who nodded with a sigh. There was much to teach the boy before he takes over.

 _ **However, Robb does not find the decisive victory he was hoping for: Tywin withdrew his garrison to King's Landing to counter the attack by Stannis, and didn't even bother wasting any men on a token defense of the castle. Robb and his forces are further demoralized to find that the Lannisters massacred two hundred Northern and Riverlands prisoners of war before they left, and the courtyards are choked with piles of bodies. They do find one survivor, a**_ _ **maester**_ _ **named**_ _ **Qyburn**_ _ **.**_ _ **Daenerys Targaryen**_ _ **'s ship arrives at the city of**_ _ **Astapor**_ _ **in**_ _ **Slaver's Bay**_ _ **after leaving**_ _ **Qarth**_ _ **. Daenerys'**_ _ **dragons**_ _ **are continuing to grow, and are now about the size of small dogs.**_

"And they are beautiful" Dany said with a soft smile. Rhaegar nodded his head, they truly were magnificent beasts.

 _ **They fly about their ship as it approaches the city, plucking fish from the sea and roasting them in mid-air with their fire-breath. She notes that they are still not big enough to use as weapons of war to invade**_ _ **Westeros**_ _ **with, and that she needs an army. Ser**_ _ **Jorah Mormont**_ _ **notes that the elite warrior-eunuchs produced in Astapor, known as the**_ _ **Unsullied**_ _ **, are said to be among the finest soldiers in the world. Daenerys stresses that they are**_ _ **slave**_ _ **-soldiers, a distinction which may make some look on her negatively in Westeros where slavery is illegal, but Jorah says they have no better ideas for how to acquire an army. Daenerys expresses interest in expanding her tiny**_ _ **Dothraki**_ __ _ **khalasar**_ _ **, but Jorah says that other Dothraki will only join her if they think she is strong, and for that she needs an army. Upon arriving at Astapor, Daenerys is given a tour of the Unsullied barracks by the Unsullied's owner,**_ _ **Kraznys mo Nakloz**_ _ **, with his slave girl**_ _ **Missandei**_ _ **translating his**_ _ **Low Valyrian**_ _ **into the**_ _ **Common Tongue**_ _ **of Westeros for Daenerys. They explain that the Unsullied are trained for battle from the age of five, and that only one in four recruits survives the training. Kraznys also demonstrates that the Unsullied do not fear pain or death by slicing off the nipple of one soldier who not only shows no sign of pain, but thanks the slavemaster for the opportunity to serve him.**_

"Those poor souls" Lyanna gasped in horror. Dany looked at the screen with disgust and anger. She would make sure this man dies.

 _ **Kraznys goes on to explain that the Unsullied are trained to show no mercy or weakness by killing a newborn slave child in front of its mother at the end of their training. Daenerys is outraged by this, but still asks how many Unsullied are available. She is told there are eight thousand soldiers for sale and that she has until the next day to make a decision. En route back to their ship, Ser Jorah urges that Daenerys should purchase the Unsullied, arguing that under her command, these slave soldiers will have a far better quality of life serving her than they would under Kraznys and his ilk. Daenerys is distracted by a playing**_ _ **child**_ _ **following her and Jorah, and neither notice a man in a hooded black cloak following them, armed with a dagger.**_

Rhaegar sat up straight. This could end badly.

 _ **The child offers a gift to Daenerys - a wooden ball - but as she picks it up, the hooded stranger knocks it out of her hands; Ser Jorah grabs the stranger and their struggle knocks Daenerys to the ground, where to her horror, the ball cracks in half and a**_ _ **manticore**_ _ **emerges to attack. Before the creature can harm Daenerys with its lethal sting, the stranger impales it with his dagger and charges at the child, who hisses in a reptilian manner, baring teeth and features reminiscent of**_ _ **Pyat Pree**_ _ **, and uses magic to escape.**_

"Eugh warlock" Lyanna pulled a face. Rhaegar calmed a great deal. If his guess about this stranger was right, then his sister was in good hands.

 _ **Daenerys realizes the assassin was likely an agent of the surviving**_ _ **Warlocks of Qarth**_ _ **. Turning her attention to her savior, Daenerys is surprised when the man addresses her as his Queen and removes his hood. She asks if Jorah knows the man. A stunned Jorah admits he does; the stranger before them is one of the most skilled fighters in Westeros: Ser**_ _ **Barristan Selmy**_ _ **, Lord Commander of**_ _ **Robert Baratheon**_ _ **'s**_ _ **Kingsguard**_ _ **. Falling to his knees, Ser Barristan explains that following Robert's death and his dismissal by Joffrey, he has been searching for Daenerys Stormborn, to beg her forgiveness and offer his service, hoping to make amends for failing**_ _ **House Targaryen**_ _ **during and after**_ _ **Robert's Rebellion**_ _ **, when he served in**_ _ **her father**_ _ **'s Kingsguard. Barristan hails her as the rightful Queen and asks to serve in her Queensguard.**_

"You have made a good ally" Rhaegar said kindly. "Can I trust him?" Dany asked and seeing her brother nod, she smiled.


	24. 3-2

_**Jon Snow**_ _ **marches slowly South with the**_ _ **Free Folk**_ _ **army of**_ _ **King-Beyond-the-Wall**_ __ _ **Mance Rayder**_ _ **. Mance explains that his army is a diverse force, formed of about ninety different groups or clans of wildlings, who speak seven different languages, and have numerous internal rivalries.**_

"Well if the white walkers don't kill them, they would kill themselves" Tywin mumbled. "I don't think that would happen father. Survival instincts and all" Tyrion mumbled and sipped his drink.

 _ **However, he managed to unite them all by telling them the truth: that they will all die if they remain north of**_ _ **the Wall**_ _ **. Mance brings Jon to one of his scouts,**_ _ **Orell**_ _ **. He is sitting silently with his eyes rolled back as an eagle circles above him. Mance says that he is a "**_ _ **warg**_ _ **", and**_ _ **Ygritte**_ _ **is surprised that Jon doesn't know what that is. Mance explains that a warg is a person who is capable of entering the mind of an animal, seeing what it sees and even controlling its actions.**_

Bran perked up at that, "any animal?" he asked the king beyond the wall. "As far as I know yes" Mance nodded. Catelyn looked at her son in question but he said nothing.

 _ **Orell controls his menagerie to scout miles ahead. Mance asks him what he has seen, and Orell says he saw the**_ _ **Fist of the First Men**_ _ **\- and many dead "crows".**_ _ **Lord Commander**_ __ _ **Jeor Mormont**_ _ **of the**_ _ **Night's Watch**_ _ **leads the few survivors of the slaughter at the**_ _ **Battle of the Fist of the First Men**_ _ **south in hope of reaching the Wall.**_ _ **Samwell Tarly**_ _ **is exhausted and collapses.**_ _ **Rast**_ _ **is annoyed that Sam hid during the battle, and thinks they should leave him because he's slowing them down. Sam is upset that**_ _ **Grenn**_ _ **and**_ _ **Edd**_ _ **abandoned him at the start of the attack, although they refuse to leave him now. Mormont tells Sam that he has to keep moving, and sternly forbids Sam to die. Mormont orders Rast to keep Sam alive until they reach the Wall on pain of death.**_

"He must have loved that" Sam snorted. "Well it's his command now so he better not complain" Jon chuckled.

 _ **Bran Stark**_ _ **dreams that he is walking and hunting in the woods; he sees the mysterious**_ _ **Three-Eyed Raven**_ _ **again. As he aims his bow, he relives his memories of when he was practicing archery with**_ _ **Jon**_ _ **and**_ _ **Robb**_ _ **, and hears the voice of his father**_ _ **Eddard**_ _ **. Bran shoots at the raven but misses. A young stranger appears. The boy tells Bran that he cannot shoot the raven, because he is the raven.**_

Mance, Tormund and Ygritte blinked owlishly. They had heard about the Three Eyed Raven, a powerful warg who could communicate through the trees and see into the future or past. For this boy to be one, it meant that the raven was needed again.

 _ **Bran awakens suddenly, worrying**_ _ **Hodor**_ _ **for a moment but he says that he is fine.**_ _ **Osha**_ _ **says they have enough problems without dark dreams. Bran,**_ _ **Rickon**_ _ **, Osha, Hodor, and the**_ _ **direwolves**_ __ _ **Summer**_ _ **and**_ _ **Shaggydog**_ _ **continue to head north from**_ _ **Winterfell**_ _ **to**_ _ **the Wall**_ _ **. Later, the same boy from the dream approaches their camp in the woods unarmed. Summer snarls at him initially but then sniffs his hand and turns away. Osha comes up behind the boy with a sharpened wooden spear, only for the boy's sister to surprise Osha and put a knife to her throat. The boy introduces himself as**_ _ **Jojen Reed**_ _ **, and his sister as**_ _ **Meera Reed**_ _ **.**_

"There was word that Lord Reed's son was a warg" Jon muttered. He had heard of this from the stable boys who heard it from the butcher who heard it from someone.

 _ **House Reed**_ _ **are loyal bannermen of**_ _ **House Stark**_ _ **, and they have been searching for Bran and Rickon so that they can protect them. When they are on the move again, Jojen and Bran discuss his wolf-dreams. Jojen explains that Bran himself is a warg. Jojen says that it starts out as vivid dreams seeing the world through his wolf's eyes, but with practice he will be able to consciously enter the mind of his wolf and control its actions.**_

"I can do that?" Bran asked in excitement. "Aye you can lad. With some practice of course" Mance said with a smile. Catelyn looked slightly disturbed. To her, it all seemed like witchcraft or something. She could not allow her son to do this.

 _ **Bran asks if prophetic dreams are part of being a warg, but Jojen explains that's a different, related ability. "**_ _ **The Sight**_ _ **" allows those who possess it to see events that haven't happened yet, or events that happened long before they were born, or events happening now but thousands of miles away. Jojen confirms that Bran's dream of his father Eddard the day he died was an example of the Sight, and that Jojen himself had a similar dream the same day.**_

Catelyn blinked in surprise. If he could do that then he could be really helpful to his family. "No" a voice said inside her head, "this is all black magic and impure" it screamed in her head.

 _ **He says that when he told his father, Lord**_ _ **Howland Reed**_ _ **, he openly wept, for he correctly realized that his son's dream signified that Eddard was dead. Bran says that Howland was a great friend of his father Eddard's who fought alongside him during**_ _ **Robert's Rebellion**_ _ **. Jojen says that Howland doesn't like to talk about the war much. Jojen confirms that Bran wasn't simply experiencing a vision of Jojen in his earlier dream, but that he reached out with his mind to contact Bran in his dream, and that he remembers seeing the Three-Eyed Raven too. At an**_ _ **indeterminate location**_ _ **,**_ _ **Theon Greyjoy**_ _ **has been chained up in a dungeon after being knocked out before the**_ _ **Sack of Winterfell**_ _ **. Men come in, some wearing**_ _ **ironborn**_ _ **clothing, and interrogate him. When he asks what they want,**_ _ **one**_ _ **of his captors says he wants to do "this" and starts prying his fingernails off with a knife.**_

Robb openly winced while Jon just watched coldly. He deserved what he got.

 _ **Later they use a foot press to torture him, while also slowly turning a screw into his foot until it is bleeding freely, repeatedly asking him why he captured Winterfell, but apparently not caring about the answers he gives. Theon at first tells them the simple truth that he wanted to take and hold Winterfell while**_ _ **the North**_ _ **was vunerable to impress**_ _ **his father**_ _ **, then starts frantically lying, saying he hates the Starks and is their enemy, desperately trying to figure out what his captors want him to tell them. When the guards leave they put a bag over his head. A**_ _ **servant boy**_ _ **comes over to Theon and unwinds the foot press, and tells him that he has been sent by his sister**_ _ **Yara**_ _ **to rescue him. However, he must wait until nightfall when the castle is asleep, so he puts the bag back on and the desperate Theon is left alone crying for help.**_

"He'll go free" Rob muttered hopefully. "I hope he dies" Arya fumed. "Arya!" her mother exclaimed in shock. "He betrayed us. He betrayed the care father and you gave him. He deserves this" she muttered angrily. Catelyn sighed, her youngest was always a wild one but for her to think all this was okay. "She's a true north woman" the voice said. "You must make a southern lady out of her" the voice continued.

 _ **King**_ _ **Joffrey Baratheon**_ _ **is being fitted for new clothes in his chambers, in preparation for his upcoming**_ _ **wedding**_ _ **to**_ _ **Margaery Tyrell**_ _ **. His mother**_ _ **Cersei**_ _ **begins to criticize Margaery, saying that she is only charitable to the poor to build up support for herself, and also saying that she thinks she dresses like a harlot. However, Joffrey barely tolerates his mother's chiding and dismissively tells her off.**_

"Must hurt to get put down by your favorite" Tyrion muttered, thoroughly enjoying what he was seeing.

 _ **Shae**_ _ **dresses**_ _ **Sansa Stark**_ _ **in her chambers, and warns Sansa about**_ _ **Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish**_ _ **. She points out that Baelish has offered to help Sansa for nothing in return, which probably means that he's after something. Sansa naively says that he's an old friend of**_ _ **her mother**_ _ **'s, believing that should be reason enough.**_

"It is!" Sansa repeated firmly looking at her half-brother who looked unconvinced. "He'll see. There are good people out there" Sansa thought to herself.

 _ **Shae suggests that Baelish is actually sexually attracted to Sansa. This disturbs Sansa, but she thinks it is simply impossible, as Baelish is so much older than her. Shae continues to warn Sansa that Baelish is manipulative and men usually only want "one thing" from pretty young ladies, and "love" often isn't what they're after.**_

Sansa shivered. He can't really want that. He is an old friend of her mother's. Surely he wouldn't. While Sansa thought this, Catelyn blanched. She knew Petyr and he would never do this. "But he is not the Petyr I knew" she thought. "But he still cares for you and he won't hurt Sansa in any way" the voice told her.

 _ **Ser**_ _ **Loras Tyrell**_ _ **arrives at the door and escorts Sansa to the gardens to meet with Margaery and their grandmother, Lady**_ _ **Olenna Tyrell**_ _ **. Sansa reminds Loras that they met once before at the**_ _ **Tourney of the Hand**_ _ **, and he takes his leave after introducing her. Lady Olenna is a cunning and intelligent woman who speaks her mind, and bluntly says that her son**_ _ **Mace**_ _ **was a fool for supporting**_ _ **Renly Baratheon**_ _ **'s claim to the throne, though Margaery speaks well of Renly.**_

"Good man he might maybe been, but is in no way in contest to rule. He has an older brother and the Lannisters aren't easy to beat" Olenna said to her granddaughter who nodded softly. "You are right grandmother" she said.

 _ **Lady Olenna insists that Sansa tell her the truth about what Joffrey is like, as he is to marry Margaery. Sansa is initially reluctant, but when Olenna mentions her father, Sansa breaks down and, her eyes blazing, angrily recounts how Joffrey had said he would show her father mercy, only to behead him in front of her, and how he then took her up to the wall and forced her to look at her father's head on a spike and claim him providing her father with a swift death was "mercy". Realizing what she has just been saying, Sansa nervously attempts to backtrack. Olenna continues to prod Sansa as she fidgets around, and it becomes obvious that she is visibly afraid about being overheard. After enough times of Olenna insisting that she can trust her not to repeat what she says, Sansa blurts out that Joffrey is "a monster". Olenna is disappointed, but unsurprised, given the rumors that have been circulating about Joffrey's public outbursts. Sansa is worried that this means the Tyrells will cancel their proposed marriage alliance, but Olenna assures her that her son Mace is too intent on Margaery entering into a royal marriage to cancel it for anything.**_

"Foolish boy" Olenna shakes her head in disappointment. Her husband was a very brave man and even she was known for her cunning and boldness. From where this son of hers became such a fool and weak hearted she could never tell.

 _ **Shae sneaks into**_ _ **Tyrion Lannister**_ _ **'s new chambers. He warns her that his father threatened to kill her if he found her with him again, and that his father follows through on such threats. Undeterred, Shae starts undressing Tyrion, and asks him for a favor; to protect Sansa from Baelish. Tyrion says that he no longer has enough power or influence to attempt to do that, though Shae accuses him of being attracted to Sansa, which he cheerfully denies. It also comes out that Tyrion had sex with**_ _ **Ros**_ _ **back in the North, though Tyrion points out it was before he met Shae. They playfully bicker about it as they start having sex.**_

"Foreplay" Jaime rolled his eyes. Catelyn looked at the imp with a stiff look. She would keep an eye out for this one.

 _ **Margaery is summoned to Joffrey's chambers to see if she needs anything before he leaves on a hunting trip. While Joffrey has previously been easy for Margaery to manipulate, Cersei was apparently able to plant one seed of doubt in his mind; the fact that Margaery was married to his uncle Renly, whom Cersei described as a "traitor and known degenerate". When questioned, Margaery says that she was ordered to marry a traitor as her family duty, but Joffrey implies that this still means he must have had sex with her. Joffrey angrily questions Margaery about the relationship and she delicately placates him by feigning demure shyness and painting herself as a dutiful, but frustrated, bride. She uses the rumors about Renly's homosexuality to redirect Joffrey's anger, stating that Renly always found excuses to avoid sex, but, in one instance, drunkenly suggested "something that sounded very painful and could not possibly result in children", which draws her new fiance's sympathy.**_

"Well played my girl" Olenna said with a smile which Margaery returned.

 _ **Joffrey tells Margaery he had considered making Renly's "perversion" punishable by death. Margaery eventually manages to divert attention to the new custom crossbow Joffrey's had made for his excursion. It quickly becomes apparent that Joffrey is excited by violence and sadism, so she flirts with him by complimenting the crossbow and musing about killing something herself. Easily played, Joffrey offers to take her with him to share in the excitement of killing something. King**_ _ **Robb Stark**_ _ **settles into the council chamber at**_ _ **Harrenhal**_ _ **with his wife Queen**_ _ **Talisa**_ _ **. Lord**_ _ **Roose Bolton**_ _ **interrupts them with two messenger-**_ _ **raven**_ _ **missives, each of which brings bad news. First, Robb's maternal grandfather**_ _ **Hoster Tully**_ _ **has finally died after a long illness at his castle of**_ _ **Riverrun**_ _ **. Second, Roose delivers a letter from his**_ _ **bastard**_ _ **son**_ _ **Ramsay Snow**_ _ **, stating that the**_ _ **ironborn**_ _ **torched**_ _ **Winterfell**_ _ **and put all of its inhabitants to the sword, and then fled all before his force arrived there. There has been no sighting of Bran or Rickon, and though Robb hopes that they are still alive, there is a strong possibility that they are dead. Moreover, there has been no word of Theon, and if he took the boys captive the**_ _ **Greyjoys**_ _ **haven't sent out any demands.**_

"Why is he lying so bluntly" Ned said with narrowed eyes. "Isn't ti obvious Lord Stark? He intends to make sure the Boltons rule the North" Tywin said in a low voice that sent shivers down his spine.

 _ **This double-blow reduces**_ _ **Catelyn Stark**_ _ **to tears and she laments that she had not seen her father in years. She is horrified at the thought that Bran and Rickon were in danger while she was away and could not protect them, and are now likely dead. Robb leaves Roose in command of Harrenhal with a detachment of the Northern army while Robb leads his main host back across**_ _ **the Riverlands**_ _ **to**_ _ **Riverrun**_ _ **. Lord**_ _ **Rickard Karstark**_ _ **angrily says that this is a waste of time, though Robb points out that Catelyn's brother and his uncle,**_ _ **Edmure Tully**_ _ **, is now lord of Riverrun and his levies will reinforce their army. Karstark maintains that unless Edmure has been breeding soldiers like rabbits, it will make no difference: with their new Tyrell allies, the Lannisters now outnumber them over two to one. Robb asks if Karstark has lost faith in their cause, and Karstark says he still believes in revenge. However, the fact that Robb lost his home castle makes him seem vulnerable in the eyes of his bannermen, and many no longer believe in Robb as they once did. Lord Karstark asks to speak his mind, and says that he thinks Robb lost the war the day he married Talisa, a political nobody, throwing away any opportunity to forge marriage-alliances with badly needed allies, specifically breaking his promise to enter into a marriage-alliance with**_ _ **House Frey**_ _ **.**_

"He is correct" Catelyn said when she saw Robb was close to exploding. "You voided the political pact and lost an ally" she said smoothly. "What makes you think they would have been allies?" Lyanna asked in a whisper. Catelyn turned to her sister in law, "why would they not? They benefit from it and it is a pact they swore on" she explained. "If you think Walder Frey would not betray you, you are being naïve Cat" Robert said with a shake of his head. Catelyn looked shocked at the King's words. Could the Freys really betray even if they went along with it? "Of course they wouldn't" the voice spoke to her.

 _ **Talisa notices that Catelyn is making a prayer wheel for the**_ _ **Faith of the Seven**_ _ **, and offers to help. Catelyn explains that they can only be made by mothers who are praying for the welfare of their children. Catelyn reveals that she has only made them twice before, one of which was when she was praying for Bran to wake from his coma, which worked after a fashion, as he did survive though he lost the use of his legs. Talisa asks after the other time, and Catelyn says that when they were younger, one of the boys had a pox, and**_ _ **Maester**_ __ _ **Luwin**_ _ **said that if he survived the night he would be all right, but that it would be a long night.**_

Jon blinked. He could remember that he had pox when he was young and none of the Stark children had it. Did that mean she prayed for him? The bastard of her husband.

 _ **Catelyn explains that the boy was Jon Snow, and at first the thought that Jon would conveniently die of natural causes made her inwardly pray to the Seven for his end.**_

Lyanna blinked in shock. Catelyn had wished for the end of her son's death? How dare she!? "She thought it was her husband's bastard" a voice said inside her head and that eased some of her anger. She knew very well how bastard's were seen by a Lady. She turned to Catelyn who looked at her apologetically. Lyanna nodded stiffly and looked away.

 _ **However, Catelyn then became horrified at herself for thinking such a thing, particularly as Jon was an innocent child, and the person Catelyn really hated was Jon's unidentified**_ _ **mother**_ _ **. So she made a prayer wheel and stayed up with him all night, praying to the gods that if they forgave her earlier wish that Jon would die, she promised she would urge Eddard to have Jon legitimized as a Stark and she would raise him as her own son.**_

Jon blinked in shock. Lady Stark actually did that? Lyanna looked at her son's shocked face and could tell that what Catelyn had promised never happened.

 _ **Jon recovered, however, Catelyn did not keep her promise. In grief at the death of her father and apparent death of her two youngest sons, and her continued grief at losing Eddard, Catelyn says the gods are punishing her misconduct with this war. Not too far away in the Riverlands,**_ _ **Arya Stark**_ _ **,**_ _ **Gendry**_ _ **, and**_ _ **Hot Pie**_ _ **are heading north from Harrenhal, planning to eventually reach the Red Fork of**_ _ **the Trident**_ _ **River and then follow it west to her grandfather's castle-seat at Riverrun. Off-screen, Arya explained to the boys how**_ _ **Jaqen H'ghar**_ _ **helped them escape because he offered that he would kill any three people she named. Gendry loudly criticizes Arya, in disbelief that she used up two of the names on minor Lannister guards when she could have said someone like "King Joffrey" or "**_ _ **Tywin Lannister**_ _ **" and ended the entire war, at which Arya gets quite defensive. However, as they advance in the forest, they run into a scouting party of the**_ _ **Brotherhood Without Banners**_ _ **, a group of outlaws, whose leader**_ _ **Thoros of Myr**_ _ **they hear singing "**_ _ **The Rains of Castamere**_ _ **" as they approach. They recognize them as the group the Lannister torturers were asking about at Harrenhal. Thoros seems a friendly sort, and they make the children come with them. They later give them food and drink at a**_ _ **local inn**_ _ **. Gendry says he used to work as a smith in King's Landing for**_ _ **Tobho Mott**_ _ **, whom Thoros recognizes but says he charged double what the other smiths did; Gendry counters that's because it was double the quality. Arya insists that she knows how to use a sword despite Thoros' disbelief, but when she tries to mock-fence with him he quickly disarms her. Other members of the Brotherhood return to the inn with a captive;**_ _ **Sandor "The Hound" Clegane**_ _ **. As Thoros trades insults with Sandor, Arya tries to leave, but the Hound stops her in astonishment and asks what in seven hells they're doing with "the Stark bitch", revealing her identity to all.**_

"Well there goes that" Tyrion muttered. Arya looked more offended at being insulted than having her cover blown.

 _ **Finally,**_ _ **Jaime Lannister**_ _ **and**_ _ **Brienne of Tarth**_ _ **are slowly making their way across country through the Riverlands, heading to**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **intending to make the prisoner exchange for the Stark girls. Jaime continues to mock Brienne along the way. Brienne is wary enough not to let Jaime out of her sight, even insisting on keeping him on his leash and watching while he urinates so he doesn't slip away. Jaime deduces that Brienne isn't from the North because he would have noticed her at Winterfell when he visited there, so she must be a Baratheon supporter. She angrily denies supporting Stannis, thus confirming that she served Renly. Jaime accurately deduces that she fancied Renly, but points out that Renly wasn't attracted to women so much as he was to Loras. Brienne says she doesn't want to hear his filthy lies, but he says that he knew Renly better than she did, reminding her that both of them spent the last 17 years living in the**_ _ **Red Keep**_ _ **, ever since**_ _ **Robert's Rebellion**_ _ **when Renly was just a child prancing down the halls. Jaime insists that Renly's homosexuality was actually "the worst kept secret at court" if she thinks he's lying. He continues to casually mock Renly which makes Brienne grab him, but he relents and says he doesn't particularly care that Renly loved Loras, as he feels people aren't free to choose the ones they love.**_

Jaime winced at his own words. He knew he was talking about himself in these words. But he was slowly losing his love for his twin.

 _ **They come across a**_ _ **farmer**_ _ **with a heavily laden mule, who notices that they're cutting cross-country and avoiding the major roads, and suspects that they're avoiding soldiers. Jaime tells Brienne that he suspects the man is a scout meant to intercept them, and even if he isn't he can still spread word he saw them. He urges her to kill the man, but she refuses.**_

"A mistake" Tywin tsked.

 _ **Later, the pair have to cross a river, which means they can either attempt a dangerous fording or take the bridge, which will probably be watched. Brienne takes the safer route of the bridge, but Jaime manages to distract her long enough to take away her spare sword and cut his bonds. Brienne and Jaime enter into an extended sword fight on the bridge. Jaime starts off very aggressively, putting Brienne on the defensive. However, Jaime's mobility is reduced because his hands are still manacled, and he is malnourished after having spent the past full year chained up in a cell. Jaime begins to tire, and Brienne wears him down further by making body-blows with kicks and punches. After a protracted fight Jaime finally slumps to the ground in exhaustion. Just then, riders from House Bolton arrive led by a man named**_ _ **Locke**_ _ **. Jaime asks if they want to negotiate, but Locke says they'll have his head if he doesn't bring the Kingslayer back to the King in the North, so there's not much Jaime can do to dissuade him from taking them prisoner.**_

"Your soldiers need to be okay with killing people they consider spies even if they don't have proof" Dany pointed out to Ned who didn't look at her.


	25. 3-3

_**In**_ _ **Astapor**_ _ **,**_ _ **Daenerys**_ _ **, accompanied by Ser**_ _ **Jorah Mormont**_ _ **and Ser**_ _ **Barristan Selmy**_ _ **, walks along a sea wall known as the "**_ _ **Walk of Punishment**_ _ **." Here, any**_ _ **slave**_ _ **who showed insubordination of any type is strapped to a cross and left to die out in public, as a warning to all other slaves.**_

"That's barbaric" Margaery's eyes widened. "The land across the narrow sea is just that. Barbaric" Olenna grumbled.

 _ **Daenerys offers a**_ _ **condemned man**_ _ **water, but he refuses to drink, saying he just wants to die quickly. Jorah and Barristan continue to disagree on whether or not Daenerys should purchase the**_ _ **Unsullied**_ _ **. Jorah insists that it is their only chance to get an army, but Barristan believes this is not the honorable way, as slavery is illegal and abhorred in the Seven Kingdoms. Jorah claims that not only will the slave soldiers be treated better in her service, but innocent people will also be spared in war because the Unsullied only do as they are ordered. They have no human or masculine urges in their bodies, and therefore will not kill civilians or rape innocent women, unlike most male soldiers who would succumb to those urges in the heat of battle. Barristan retorts that when her older brother**_ _ **Rhaegar**_ _ **led his army in the**_ _ **Battle of the Trident**_ _ **, men fought and died for Rhaegar because they believed in him, because they loved him - not because they were slave soldiers whose free will had been stripped away.**_

"It's a whole other circumstance" Rhaegar said with a soft smile. Selmy was a dear friend of his and a very good and honorable warrior. But in circumstances like this, he would follow Jorah's words. Freeing these slave warriors would be the best.

 _ **Jorah responds that Rhaegar indeed fought honorably and nobly, but that in the end Rhaegar died. Daenerys was born months after**_ _ **Robert Baratheon**_ _ **killed Rhaegar at the Battle of the Trident, and only knew her cruel and half-mad brother**_ _ **Viserys**_ _ **, so she asks Ser Barristan if he knew Rhaegar. Selmy was a member of the Targaryen**_ _ **Kingsguard**_ _ **and thus knew Rhaegar well: he fought beside him and bled beside him at the Trident. Barristan says that Rhaegar was the finest man he ever met, the last dragon. Daenerys grows quiet and says she wishes she'd known her older brother, but that Rhaegar was not the last dragon.**_

"You are little sister. That you are" Rhaegar thought proudly.

 _ **Daenerys speaks with**_ _ **Kraznys mo Nakloz**_ _ **, as he shows her his slave soldiers, the**_ _ **Unsullied**_ _ **. He repeatedly insults and mocks Daenerys in his**_ _ **native tongue**_ _ **, leaving his slave translator**_ _ **Missandei**_ _ **of**_ _ **Naath**_ _ **to clean up his crude and very insulting words into more respectful language. At one point, she pauses, wondering how to twist a particularly coarse insult from Kraznys, and Daenerys notices her reluctance to directly translate. Daenerys says she will take all 8,000 Unsullied soldiers, including those in training. Kraznys laughs and retorts that she can barely afford 100 Unsullied. Daenerys surprises him by telling him she has**_ _ **dragons**_ _ **, and is willing to trade one.**_

"You can't be serious!" Robert gapped at Dany. "I have a plan" she said coolly. How dare the usurper think she would trade away her child like that.

 _ **This offer stops Kraznys in his tracks, yet Daenerys repeatedly affirms that he may only have one of her dragons. They strike a deal that she may have all the Unsullied soldiers in exchange for**_ _ **her biggest dragon**_ _ **. Both Jorah and Selmy strongly object, and plead to Daenerys that while soldiers are valuable, it is dragons that will ultimately win her the**_ _ **Iron Throne**_ _ **. She ignores them, and concludes the deal with Kraznys, and also demands Missandei as a token of faith. Upon leaving the room, she scolds Jorah and Selmy, telling them that while she values their advice, they should never again question her in public. Daenerys speaks with Missandei and asks her if she has a family; she says no. Daenerys tells her of the man who turned down her offer of water, and asks why he would simply say, "Let me die." Missandei replies that in the afterlife, there is no master. Thus, the man would rather be dead than alive in the**_ _ **Slavers Bay**_ _ **. Daenerys proceeds to explain the dangers Missandei will be facing in Daenerys's service and asks if that will be a problem. Missandei simply replies, "Valar morghulis" ("all men must die"). Daenerys acknowledges the truth of the words, but quips, "We are not men."**_

Lyanna chuckled under her breath. Danaerys might be a bit of a loose cannon at times and all her methods isn't as agreeable with her, but she liked the girl. She was a strong one, a warrior in her own rights.

 _ **The**_ _ **Free Folk**_ _ **army of**_ _ **King-Beyond-the-Wall**_ _ **,**_ _ **Mance Rayder**_ _ **, including**_ _ **Jon Snow**_ _ **, arrive at the**_ _ **Fist of the First Men**_ _ **. They survey the bloody aftermath of**_ _ **assault on the Night's Watch**_ _ **by the**_ _ **White Walkers**_ _ **and their army of undead**_ _ **wights**_ _ **. Mance grimly remarks that the White Walkers are "always the artists": the severed corpses of all of the Watch's horses have been carefully arranged into a large-scale, ceremonial spiral pattern.**_

Bran tilted his head slightly while the others looked on in horror. There was something odd about the pattern he was seeing.

 _ **However, there is no sign of any human corpses - which**_ _ **Orell**_ _ **insists were there when he scouted ahead earlier by**_ _ **warging**_ _ **into his eagle, but have now vanished. Jon says that there were three hundred men of the Night's Watch at the Fist, and asks Mance if Mormont could still be alive. Mance says that with Mormont, it's possible he was able to escape, but that even if he did he and his men took quite a beating and are trapped miles away from the Wall with the White Walkers in close pursuit. Mance warns Jon that all of the missing corpses from the Fist are no longer his friends and brothers from the Night's Watch, but have been resurrected as undead monsters who serve the White Walkers.**_

"He can do that?" Ned looked at Mance. "If the Night King is who you are referring to, then yes he can. Whoever his minions kill become a part of his army" he said grimly.

 _ **Mance orders**_ _ **Tormund**_ _ **to take a force of twenty men to scale**_ _ **The Wall**_ _ **to attack**_ _ **Castle Black**_ _ **from its exposed rear. The fortresses of the Night's Watch were purposefully built to only defend from attack over the Wall, without defenses on their southern sides, so they wouldn't be a threat to the lords of the Seven Kingdoms. Mance's plan is for Tormund's small band to distract Castle Black by attacking their exposed southern side, at which point Mance's main army will assault it from the north. Tormund will know that Mance is in position when his army makes a massive signal fire; Mance boasts that "I'm going to make the biggest fire the North has ever seen!" Mance orders Tormund to take Jon with him, as Jon knows the layout of Castle Black, and it will prove a key test of his loyalty: if it turns out that he won't really betray the Night's Watch, Tormund can easily throw him off the Wall to his death.**_

"Comforting" Jon said dryly. "Well that is the price for betrayin us" Ygritte said roughly. Jon looked at her and she looked at him for a moment before they looked away.

 _ **Farther south,**_ _ **Lord Commander**_ __ _ **Jeor Mormont**_ _ **leads the ragged survivors of the**_ _ **Night's Watch**_ _ **expedition to**_ _ **Craster's Keep**_ _ **.**_ _ **Craster**_ _ **mocks the survivors of the Battle of the Fist of the First Men when they reach his Keep. He initially wants to refuse them shelter until he notices some of them stroking their weapons. Fearful that in desperation they might try to rush him, he relents. As the black brothers warm by his hearth, Craster mocks them. Craster insists that the black brothers should be grateful for his generosity, and that he is a "godly man" for helping them.**_

"Godly my arse" Jeor said gruffly with a glare directed at the screen. "If he is a godly man then Ned here is the devil" Lyanna commented off handed.

 _ **Mormont tensely questions Craster's claim to be a godly man, but Craster insists that he is - to the "real gods," the White Walkers, who consume entire armies on their way to the Wall but will spare Craster for his loyalty. He admits that he's feeding his pigs better than them - as pigs are valuable to him - and half-seriously suggests to his guests that they should eat the fat**_ _ **Samwell Tarly**_ _ **.**_

"This man disgusts me" Margaery said, making a face. "She disgusts us all my lady. Soon he won't be an issue" Jeor said, promising the bastards death to himself.

 _ **He is also annoyed by**_ _ **Gilly**_ _ **'s loud wailing from birthing pains. Sam leaves the main house to a birthing hut where he witnesses Gilly giving birth with the aid of a few other women. To her horror,**_ _ **the baby**_ _ **is a boy. Sam and Gilly wordlessly realize that Craster will want to sacrifice him to the White Walkers. At**_ _ **Riverrun**_ _ **in**_ _ **the Riverlands**_ _ **, the castle-seat of**_ _ **House Tully**_ _ **, the funeral of the recently deceased Lord**_ _ **Hoster Tully**_ _ **is held on the banks of the Red Fork of**_ _ **the Trident**_ _ **River. King**_ _ **Robb Stark**_ _ **has arrived with the main force of the Northern army, and he helps launch his maternal grandfather's funeral boat, along with Hoster's younger brother**_ _ **Brynden "The Blackfish" Tully**_ _ **. Catelyn and Robb's new wife Queen**_ _ **Talisa**_ _ **look on with the assembled crowd of bannermen on the dock. Hoster's youngest child, Catelyn's younger brother**_ _ **Edmure Tully**_ _ **, attempts to light the funeral boat on fire with a flaming arrow but fails three times.**_

Catelyn rubbed her forehead with a sigh. Her brother was not what her father was.

 _ **Just as the boat is about to disappear around a bend of the river, Brynden pushes his nephew out of the way and skillfully makes the shot. Knowing his accuracy was true and the shot would hit the boat, the Blackfish turns around to walk away as soon as he releases the arrow. In Catelyn's old chamber in the castle, she mourns with her uncle Brynden over her father's death. She asks him if he made peace with his older brother, with whom he had been fighting for the past thirty years. Brynden explains that he did: on his deathbed Hoster told him to stop calling himself "the Blackfish" as it was a stupid joke created over thirty years ago by Brynden to symbolize his bad relationship with his older brother, and it wasn't very funny to begin with. Brynden emotionally joked back to his dying brother that people had been calling him "Blackfish" for so long that they'd practically forgotten his real name.**_

Catelyn smiled, wiping a stray tear off her cheeks. Her father died with no burdens then.

 _ **Catelyn is happy that her uncle was able to make peace with her father before he passed, and is upset that she couldn't have been there. She reminisces that she watched from this window in her childhood whenever her father left, but now he won't be coming back. She tearfully wonders if her sons**_ _ **Bran**_ _ **and**_ _ **Rickon**_ _ **similarly watched at**_ _ **Winterfell**_ _ **for her return when she failed to arrive to save them. Brynden insists that neither he nor Robb have given up hope that the boys may be alive and in hiding, and urges her to be strong for Robb. King Robb, Brynden, and Edmure confer in Riverrun's meeting room. The**_ _ **war**_ _ **is not going well for them. The Lannisters have defeated their enemies in the south and secured**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **from attack, as well as a marriage-alliance with**_ _ **House Tyrell**_ _ **. They have superior numbers, wealth, and strategic position. Edmure begins to speak of his recent victory at the**_ _ **Battle of Stone Mill**_ _ **, which pushed the Lannister army under Ser**_ _ **Gregor Clegane**_ _ **from the Riverlands. Robb and Brynden, however, are furious with Edmure: their grand strategy was to lure Tywin and Gregor's armies into**_ _ **the Westerlands**_ _ **, where they would be vulnerable, out of position, and unable to defend the capital against the Baratheons. Edmure's role in this was to offer token defense as a feint to lure the Lannisters back west across the Red Fork of the Trident. Instead, by successfully attacking the Lannisters at Stone Mill, Edmure kept them penned in the Riverlands, and thus close enough to King's Landing that Tywin was able to rush to the defense of the city at the**_ _ **Battle of the Blackwater**_ _ **. The Starks' strategic position in the war has been ruined.**_

"Well" Ned sighed. Catelyn made a noise at the back of her throat. Her brother sometimes went over what he needed to do to just prove himself.

 _ **Edmure insists that they took valuable captives in the battle,**_ _ **Willem**_ _ **and**_ _ **Martyn Lannister**_ _ **, but Robb angrily points out that he didn't stop fighting because his sisters are held captive. Considering that Tywin didn't stop to negotiate when his own eldest son was captured, taking his younger nephews hostage will have no impact on the war. Edmure tries to at least point out that they lost only two hundred men at Stone Mill and multiple Lannister soldiers died for every man they lost, at which Robb cuts him off and shouts that they need their men more than Tywin Lannister needs his. At this point, the Lannisters are in such a good strategic position that they can afford to be patient, and grind down Robb's forces through simple attrition.**_

"We have lost this" Robb groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Never think that until the end son" Ned said putting a hand on his eldest's back. "The tides of war can easily shift anytime" he smiled.

 _ **In the prison cells at Riverrun, Queen Talisa bandages the minor wounds of Willem and Martyn Lannister. They are boys, only 14 and 15 years old. One of them asks if Robb really transforms into a wolf eats the flesh of his enemies. Talisa says yes - but that he does not eat the flesh of children, except during the full moon. She asks a guard if it's currently a full moon, and reassures the now terrified child that he is safe.**_

Bran chuckled slightly. He liked this woman. Catelyn watched with a soft smile. The woman was kind and a great help. Maybe Robb did the right thing in marrying her.

 _ **At**_ _ **King's Landing**_ _ **,**_ _ **Tywin Lannister**_ _ **calls the first meeting of the**_ _ **Small Council**_ _ **since he arrived in the city and assumed his position as**_ _ **Hand of the King**_ _ **. He has the meeting place changed to a room next to his own quarters in the**_ _ **Tower of the Hand**_ _ **, asserting his dominance. Tywin arrives early and has all of the council members called in at once. All of the seats are on one side of the table, as a non-verbal test to see how each of them reacts around him.**_ _ **Petyr Baelish**_ _ **ambitiously pushes his way past everyone else to be the one who sits closest to Tywin.**_ _ **Varys**_ _ **rolls his eyes at Littlefinger's naked ambition and lets him pass, content to sit in the second-closest seat.**_ _ **Grand Maester**_ __ _ **Pycelle**_ _ **, who is most focused on survival by avoiding direct conflict, doesn't try to fight over a better seat with either of them, instead quietly taking the third seat away from Tywin. Tywin's daughter**_ _ **Cersei**_ _ **arrives to find the seats are all occupied, but not wanting to play that game and be relegated to a lowly position, she pulls up a chair so she is sitting at Tywin's right hand, opposite Littlefinger.**_ _ **Tyrion**_ _ **is the only one who even mildly stands up to Tywin's posturing, by not even trying to sit closest to Tywin: instead he takes a new chair and makes a point of noisily dragging it across the ground until it is positioned at the exact opposite end of the table from his father.**_

Tyrion smirked lightly to himself. He always found it fun to antagonize his father. That was after all the only time he had any reall conversation with him.

 _ **Tywin is upset with the three advisors, noting that between them, they possess the greatest number of spies in the world, yet none of them can locate his son**_ _ **Jaime**_ _ **, even though the entire Northern army has heard of his escape. Tywin asks what news there is of the war, and Varys reports that Robb has taken the bulk of his army to Riverrun for his grandfather's funeral, while leaving Lord**_ _ **Roose Bolton**_ _ **in command of**_ _ **Harrenhal**_ _ **. Varys makes a jab at Littlefinger's recent, titular promotion as Lord of Harrenhal, noting that this makes Roose Bolton the current Lord of Harrenhal in practice if not in name. However, Tywin says that Roose can keep it, because the title alone is enough to give Littlefinger the social standing to be a suitor to Lady**_ _ **Lysa Arryn**_ _ **. Littlefinger states that they have known each other since childhood, and Lysa has always adored him, and thus she will soon remarry to him. Pycelle notes that this will make Littlefinger the acting**_ _ **Lord Paramount of the Vale**_ _ **, an even more important position. Tywin states that this will confirm that**_ _ **the Vale of Arryn**_ _ **, which has been neutral in the war up to now, will not support Robb Stark, who is increasingly being hemmed in by enemies. Tyrion points out that if Baelish departs for the Vale that leaves a vacancy on the Small Council, and Tywin reveals that he has appointed Tyrion as the new**_ _ **Master of Coin**_ _ **to replace him.**_

"Well congrats brother" Jaime said with a smile at his scowling younger brother.

 _ **While this may seem like giving Tyrion a position of relative power again, Tyrion quickly points out that he has no prior experience in finance. With backhanded compliments, Cersei makes it clear that this promotion is really intended to give him an opportunity to make mistakes he will be blamed for.**_

"Ah" Jaime thought, his smile now fading away and was replaced with a frown.

 _ **After the meeting, Tyrion,**_ _ **Podrick Payne**_ _ **, and Ser**_ _ **Bronn**_ _ **drop by Littlefinger's office in his**_ _ **brothel**_ _ **, where he keeps his ledgers. Pod loads them all into a cart as**_ _ **Ros**_ _ **flirts with him. Littlefinger says it was the safest place to keep such records, but Tyrion notes that his brothel hasn't been the safest place**_ _ **for bastards**_ _ **. Baelish says he hopes Tyrion does well in the position, as he owes him for securing the release of Ros but Tyrion says it was just a misunderstanding. Tyrion and Bronn then lead Pod into another room of the brothel, where Tyrion says that he wants to reward him for saving his life during the**_ _ **Battle of the Blackwater**_ _ **: he has paid for Podrick to enjoy the services of not one, but three prostitutes:**_ _ **Marei**_ _ **,**_ _ **Genna**_ _ **, and a contortionist named**_ _ **Kayla**_ _ **.**_

"Typical" Tywin thought dryly. Only his youngest would do this. "But is it bad?" a voice whispered inside Tywin's head.

 _ **Later, Tyrion is reading through the financial records, and explains to Bronn that not all is as Baelish would like the court to think. Bronn asks if he thinks Littlefinger has been stealing to obtain the crown's money, but Tyrion says the problem is more that he's been borrowing all of it. Littlefinger always acted like he was a financial genius who could raise**_ _ **money**_ _ **seemingly out of nowhere, but in reality**_ _ **the Iron Throne is heavily in debt**_ _ **, and Littlefinger procured enough money to balance the books every year by borrowing massive sums of money from foreign banks.**_

"That rat!" Robert growled, slamming his fist on the arm of his chair. Another man who is surely dying by his hammer.

 _ **In particular, much of their debt is owed to the**_ _ **Iron Bank of Braavos**_ _ **, the largest bank in the**_ _ **Free Cities**_ _ **. Tyrion warns Bronn that when debtors to the Iron Bank cannot repay their loans, the Iron Bank will first refuse to give out new loans, and ultimately support rebellions against them. Tyrion fears that if they can't repay the debt, the Iron Bank will eventually cut them off and start supporting Robb Stark or Stannis Baratheon. Podrick then returns, with the money Tyrion gave him to pay the prostitutes.**_

Tyrion balked at the scene, "he came back!?" he gaped. "Well it isn't for everyone brother" Jaime chuckled. Tywin looked extremely pleased that his son's work was undone.

 _ **Tyrion is concerned that he lost heart and fled, but Pod innocently says he did "all sorts of things" with the prostitutes - they simply refused his offer of payment.**_

Tywin's pleasure evaporated in an instant as Jaime joined his brother in gaping. "Boy seduced the whores with his cock!" Robert roared with laughter.

 _ **Impressed that the women would provide their services for free, Tyrion and Bronn ask Pod to explain in detail what transpired, so they can take "copious notes."**_

"Don't" Jaime groaned as Tyrion chuckled.

 _ **At**_ _ **Dragonstone**_ _ **, King**_ _ **Stannis Baratheon**_ _ **speaks with**_ _ **Melisandre**_ _ **as she prepares to depart by boat. He is worried that his enemies think he is defeated and are laughing at him, and that now even she is abandoning him. She assures him that she still thinks he is the**_ _ **Lord's Chosen**_ _ **, but she must travel to an unknown location to obtain something vital for his cause. Stannis says that he wants her, and that he wants Joffrey and Robb dead, and asks her to make "a son" again with him. Melisandre says that she cannot: creating a shadow-creature drains some of the fire of a man's life-force, and she fears that creating another would kill Stannis. Over his protests, she explains that what she is seeking is even more powerful than a shadow-creature, and will change his fortunes in this war, but she needs a king's blood to do it. Stannis doesn't understand, but Melisandre implies that she needs to burn a human sacrifice who possesses a king's blood as an offering to the**_ _ **Lord of Light**_ _ **. She can't kill Stannis himself to achieve this, but as she points out, "There are others with your blood in their veins" - any of his brother King**_ _ **Robert**_ _ **'s**_ _ **bastard**_ _ **children who managed to survive**_ _ **the purge**_ _ **.**_

"You are not touching a single hair on any of them" RObet roared, his previous good mood up in flames of anger. Stannis nodded with a hint of fear. His brother was not a man to have on your enemies side.

 _ **At an**_ _ **undisclosed location**_ _ **,**_ _ **Theon Greyjoy**_ _ **escapes from the dungeon with the help of a**_ _ **young man**_ _ **, who gives him a horse and tells him to ride east. Theon thanks him and says he'll make him a lord of the**_ _ **Iron Islands**_ _ **for this, but the boy says that they aren't in the Iron Islands now.**_

"Pathetic" Jon snorted. "Jon" Lyanna said gently. "He betrayed us. We treated him like family. He could die for all I care" he grumbled in anger. Lyanna and Rhaegar exchanged worried looks with one another then looked at their son.

 _ **Theon is later hunted down by his captors in a prolonged chase on horseback through the woods. Ultimately his pursuers split into two groups and trap Theon between them, and he is knocked off his horse with a flail. Theon's captors pin him to the ground, and pull down his pants: the**_ _ **leader**_ _ **declares that he intends to rape Theon as punishment for trying to run away. However, Theon's unidentified savior returns and snipes all of the captors from afar using his bow, rescuing him at the last minute.**_

Robb blinked then sighed. Theon might have betrayed them, but he was still like a brother to him and he didn't want to see him hurt. "He is your enemy now. Stop being weak and accept that you need to punish him" a stern voice, which sounded awfully like his father said inside his head.

 _ **At the**_ _ **Inn at the Crossroads**_ _ **in**_ _ **the Riverlands**_ _ **,**_ _ **Arya Stark**_ _ **,**_ _ **Gendry**_ _ **, and**_ _ **Hot Pie**_ _ **are still in the company of the**_ _ **Brotherhood Without Banners**_ _ **, who are preparing to depart. Gendry has finished fixing a steel breastplate which**_ _ **Thoros**_ _ **puts on, and Arya asks why Gendry is helping them. Thoros says that they're not prisoners, it's just that the war-torn Riverlands aren't a safe place for**_ _ **Ned Stark**_ _ **'s daughter. Arya notices that they are loading**_ _ **Sandor "The Hound" Clegane**_ _ **into a prisoner cart, so she walks over and angrily asks him if he remembers**_ _ **the last time he was here**_ _ **, but he simply says all poor inns look the same. As they get ready to leave, Hot Pie explains that he isn't going with them: he baked some bread for the innkeeper, and as he was a baker's apprentice when he lived in King's Landing, the innkeeper thought it was the best bread they'd ever had, and offered him a job. This life of fighting and travelling isn't really for him, plus Thoros formally made a deal with the innkeeper to pay for the free meals they enjoyed with Hot Pie's services. Before they go, he gives Arya a present he made for her: a loaf of bread shaped like a**_ _ **direwolf**_ _ **, though Arya implies the tail looks like a head. Arya is a bit brusque but the three wish each other well as they depart, and as they are riding away Arya starts eating the wolf-bread, and turns back to shout to Hot Pie that it is very good. Somewhere else in the Riverlands,**_ _ **Jaime Lannister**_ _ **and**_ _ **Brienne of Tarth**_ _ **have been taken captive by**_ _ **Locke**_ _ **and a detachment of men from**_ _ **House Bolton**_ _ **. As they ride along, the men sing a rousing chorus of**_ _ **The Bear and the Maiden Fair**_ _ **. Tied up back to back on one of the horses, Jaime warns Brienne that when they make camp for the night, they will rape her, more than once, and that his honest advice is to give no resistance, and just think of Renly. They were only sent to capture Jaime, therefore Brienne means nothing to them, so at the slightest provocation they will kill her without hesitation. Brienne says she will fight even if they kill her, and Jaime agrees that if he were a woman, he would fight to the death before being raped, too. Later that night Locke's men make camp, and do indeed drag Brienne kicking and screaming into the bushes to gang-rape her. Jaime is disgusted by this pointless brutality, so he points out to Locke that Brienne is actually a noblewoman and the sole heir of Lord**_ _ **Selwyn of Tarth**_ _ **, the "Sapphire Isle," and her father will pay them a ransom of her weight in sapphires - provided that she is unharmed. Locke agrees and calls his men back before they are able to rape Brienne, and they tie her up to a tree again.**_

"Good save" Tyrion said with a smile and a nod.

 _ **Jaime tries to smooth-talk Locke once again with offers of how his father Tywin will make him extravagantly rich if he lets Jaime go Tiring of Jaime's frequent attempts to bribe him into turning over to the Lannister side, Locke decides to prove that Jaime's father will never deal with the likes of him. At first Locke has his men untie Jaime on the pretext of letting him go, but then his men hold him down on a chopping block while Locke grabs a carving knife, threatening to stab Jaime in the eye. Locke reasons that maiming Tywin's son will be the ultimate proof that the Lannisters would never deal with Locke, much less bribe him. Locke says that Jaime's father can't help him now, and "this should help you remember!" - as he swings down the carving knife and hacks off Jaime's sword-hand. For half a second, Jaime stares at his severed right hand in shock, before what just happened can register in his mind and then he begins to scream in horror.**_

Jaime blinked furiously, unbelieving at what just happened. "Is this how you treat you prisoners!?" Tywin growled angrily at the Lord of Winterfell who himself looked shocked beyond anything. "Stand down Tywin" Robert said gruffly. "They destroyed my son's life!" He growled again and looked ready to pounce like an angry lion. "The man will be dealt with before he can do it" Catelyn said smoothly. Tywin gave a curt nod and sat back down, anger still boiling inside him.


	26. AN2

A bit of a notice on this one. I messed up with this story a bit and am not sure how to go forward. So I'll be putting it on Hiatus until further notice.


	27. AN3

I will be deleting this story, starting from scratch. I got a few ideas on how I should play it up thanks to a few of you guys who were kind enough to help me. So please bear with me on this?


	28. AN4

So this is a little heads up for you readers. I will continue this story you don't have to worry about it. But i'm pushing it till the series finale. That way I can arrange what more the group needs to change and what people I should include to begin with. So all I'm requesting is that you guys be patient with me and wait for the story. This has been your boi InferNafee! Peace!


	29. IMPORTANT AN

**_Heeeeeeeeeeeeey people of the internet. How ya'll doin? I know we haven't talked in a while. Well I consider my stories a way of communication._**

 **Anywho! the reason i'm writing this is to let you guys know that I have started to write my GoT story over on Wattpad. The user name is the same as this one and the story name is Winter's End. I hope you guys do read it there and show me the support you always do.**

 ** _signing off,_**

 ** _Your friend(Hah! You're my friend now! You're stuck with meeee)_**

 ** _Infernafee_**


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